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.
Seeing a ferry headed nearby, Greg Friedman, owner of the yacht and a board member of the Marine Mammal Center, reported the whale sighting to the Coast Guard, which alerted nearby vessels.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
Another sighting and shark rescue occurred in April when a fisherman in Hermosa Beach freed a juvenile great white shark caught on a fishing line.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026
A sighting of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., chatting with Mickey Mouse, wand in hand, felt almost cathartic.
From Salon • Apr. 5, 2026
Islam follows a lunar calendar with each month starting at the sighting of the moon.
From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026
I felt a little thrill of adventure as we chugged into the bay, as if I were sighting land where maps had noted only a sweep of undistinguished blue.
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
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.
