sightseeing
Americannoun
adjective
noun
Etymology
Origin of sightseeing
Explanation
Sightseeing is what you do when you travel somewhere and spend time visiting museums, sites, or neighborhoods. You might dream of sightseeing in Paris someday. Sightseeing is an activity that's almost always done in an unfamiliar place, and usually during a vacation. Going sightseeing in the city where you live isn't impossible, though—you could spend a day taking tours, visiting historic sites, and looking at your city the way a tourist would. Sightseeing has been in use since the 19th century, from the idea of "seeing the sights."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
From my starting point in Nashville, Tenn., down to Little Rock, Ark., the Bolt’s nimble handling made for a smooth ride and afforded me time for sightseeing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Redick praised how Doncic planned a team minicamp in Slovenia where players and some assistant coaches participated in basketball practices while enjoying team-bonding activities such as golfing, rowing and sightseeing in Doncic’s hometown of Ljubljana.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
"It was just a lovely wholesome time of Cambridge sightseeing and pubs, and now it is tarnished by these bedbug bites," she said.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
The wreckage of a New York sightseeing helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River, killing six people, showed signs of a bird strike, investigators said on Thursday.
From Barron's ● Jul. 16, 2026
It’s not like I’m taking a joyful sightseeing stroll at noon on a Monday.
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
