- present participle of sight.
sighting
Britishnoun
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an occasion on which something is seen
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Another name for sight
Explanation
A sighting is an instance of discovering or observing something. You might use your telescope to watch the night sky for hours in the hope of a UFO sighting. Your friend, an avid birdwatcher, gets excited at every woodpecker or heron sighting he makes, while you're more interested in sightings of used bookstores. A sighting of your favorite pop star — a quick glimpse as she ducks into a limousine — might be thrilling for you and your friend! Sighting, "an instance of catching sight," dates from the mid-19th century.
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.
Each confirmed sighting therefore provides valuable information about where these predators still occur.
From Science Daily • Jun. 26, 2026
Jalen Brunson had offered a rare sighting of public civility.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026
Weeks after that public sighting, the “Euphoria” star’s stylist and self-proclaimed image architect Law Roach boldly claimed to “Access Hollywood” on the Actor Awards red carpet that “the wedding’s already happened, you missed it.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2026
Nature observer and broadcaster Iolo Williams was on a wildlife cruise filming Springwatch when he heard about the sighting.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
By the time I’d finished, the Preacher had only shot three of the wood hunks and was sighting in on number four.
From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis
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.
