sight unseen

Idioms

Without having viewed the object in question, as in He bought the horse sight unseen. This seeming oxymoron—how can a sight, which means something seen, be not seen?—dates from the late 1800s.

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.

Jayla never thought she’d buy a house pretty much sight unseen, much less one off the coast of Italy.

From Slate • Feb. 1, 2026

Decades since Luna Luna was packed away, Goldberg rallied a team of investors to buy what might be left of the exhibition from the foundation - sight unseen.

From BBC • Dec. 22, 2024

The series begins with 15 single men and 15 single women splitting off into pairs and getting to know each other, one on one, sight unseen, in a “pod” separated by a shimmery blue wall.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 12, 2024

Buying a vehicle online and sight unseen allows you to potentially shop the nation’s entire inventory of cars rather than what just happens to be sitting around at your local dealership.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 17, 2024

When she wanted to leave Texas, Armstrong and Cater sent her, sight unseen, to Grandpa.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023