bight

[ bahyt ]

/ baɪt /

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See synonyms for bight on Thesaurus.com

noun

the middle part of a rope, as distinguished from the ends.

the loop or bent part of a rope, as distinguished from the ends.

a bend or curve in the shore of a sea or river.

a body of water bounded by such a bend.

a bay or gulf.

verb (used with object)

to fasten with a bight of rope.

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Origin of bight

First recorded before 1000; Middle English byght, Old English byht “bend, bay”; cognate with Dutch bocht, German Bucht; akin to bow¹

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bight

bight , bite, byte

Words nearby bight

big hitter, big hook, bighorn, Bighorn Mountains, big house, bight, big idea, big Ike, big kahuna, big labor, big laurel

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bight in a sentence

The Bight Swelter—named one of Gear Patrol’s top “synthetic down” jackets of the year—exemplifies Power Fill’s place in the world of alpine mountaineering.
11 Times Polartec Revolutionized How We Dress|bsmith|August 7, 2021|Outside Online
Humans, however, are rarely seen—the Bight is more than man can chew...
It’s a Big, Big World: Sights That Make You Feel Small|Lonely Planet|December 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Harry had already made a bowline in a bight at the end of a line.
Boy Scouts in the North Sea|G. Harvey Ralphson
Toggle: A pin placed through the bight or eye of a rope to secure it round a stay, mast, etc.
The Sportswoman's Library, v. 2|Various

Peaks, on the main topmast-stay, caught Howe in the very act of passing the gasket through the bight of the buntline.
Down the Rhine|Oliver Optic
I was deep in the bottle-neck bight of the sands, jammed on a lee shore, and a strong flood tide sweeping me on.
The Riddle of the Sands|Erskine Childers
Reaching the rope over his head, he went up, hand over hand, till he had slack enough to make a bight for one of his feet.
Down the Rhine|Oliver Optic

British Dictionary definitions for bight (1 of 2)

bight

/ (baɪt) /

noun

a wide indentation of a shoreline, or the body of water bounded by such a curve

the slack middle part of an extended rope

a curve or loop in a rope

verb

(tr) to fasten or bind with a bight

Word Origin for bight

Old English byht; see bow ²

British Dictionary definitions for bight (2 of 2)

Bight

noun

the Bight Australian informal the major indentation of the S coast of Australia, from Cape Pasley in W Australia to the Eyre Peninsula in S AustraliaIn full: the Great Australian Bight

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for bight

bight

[ bīt ]

A long, gradual bend or curve in a shoreline. A bight can be larger than a bay, or it can be a segment of a bay.

bight

Origin of bight

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bight

Words nearby bight

Words related to bight

How to use bight in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bight (1 of 2)

Word Origin for bight

British Dictionary definitions for bight (2 of 2)

Scientific definitions for bight