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.
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
First recorded before 1000; Middle English byght, Old English byht “bend, bay”; cognate with Dutch bocht, German Bucht; akin to bow 1
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Even with a young team, the Anteaters advanced to the Big West Tournament final, so the future should be bight.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 11, 2018
“If BP with all its experience cannot produce an acceptable drilling plan for Nopsema, the remaining companies exploring in the bight will be wasting their shareholders’ money trying to pursue this folly,” he said.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 10, 2016
The shallow bight, more than a mile wide in places, runs east to west and cuts Andros roughly in half.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 14, 2015
The boardwalk weaves along the bight from the ferry terminal on Grinnell to the end of Front Street.
From New York Times ● Apr. 29, 2015
As she left Camp Four at the front of Fischer’s group, Lopsang abruptly pulled her aside and girth-hitched a bight of rope to the front of her climbing harness.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
The bottle was thrown overboard "somewhere in the Bight", Pte Harley's letter said, referring to the Great Australian Bight off the country's southern coast.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2025
As an expert in seafloor mapping, methane gas seepage and seafloor pockmarks, he never believed that the depressions in the German Bight were caused by rising fluids.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 21, 2023
In Australia, marsupials abound: A snarling Tasmanian devil stands before craggy Cradle Mountain, while a stubby brown wombat surveils the Great Australian Bight.
From New York Times ● Dec. 10, 2023
They were aboard a 38-foot catamaran anchored in Lookout Bight in Cape Lookout, North Carolina, stuck in choppy water with strong winds.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 23, 2023
Almost in desperation, several German Dreadnoughts, accompanied by light cruisers and destroyers, emerged from the Heligoland Bight.
From With Beatty off Jutland A Romance of the Great Sea Fight by Westerman, Percy F. (Percy Francis)
The map was full of promises of the undiscovered, coves and lookout points, brooks and bights each harboring a secret second chance.
From New York Times ● Aug. 11, 2016
However, as I perceived that he had worked himself into a perfect fury, up I went, and to the topgallant-mast-head, embracing the royal pole with one arm, and standing on the bights of the rigging.
From Rattlin the Reefer by Marryat, Frederick
The shroud-knot with three strands single walled round the bights of the other three and the standing part.
From The Sailor's Word-Book An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms, including Some More Especially Military and Scientific, but Useful to Seamen; as well as Archaisms of Early Voyagers, etc. by Belcher, Edward, Sir
The Turk's Head may be drawn as tight as desired around the rope, or rod, by working up the slack and drawing all bights taut.
From Knots, Splices and Rope Work A Practical Treatise by Verrill, A. Hyatt (Alpheus Hyatt)
If admitted, this claim would give American fishermen the right of entrance to huge British bights and bays full of valuable fish.
From The Winning of Popular Government A Chronicle of the Union of 1841 by MacMechan, Archibald
“You don’t want to end up with a bighted community as a result of trying to implement drastic water conservation measures,” Fraser said.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 14, 2015
Definitions 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.
