sight
the power or faculty of seeing; perception of objects by use of the eyes; vision.
an act, fact, or instance of seeing.
one's range of vision on some specific occasion: Land is in sight.
mental perception or regard; judgment.
something seen or worth seeing; spectacle: the sights of London.
Informal. something unusual, surprising, shocking, or distressing: They were a sight after the fight.
Commerce.
presentation of a bill of exchange: a draft payable at two months after sight.
a showing of goods, especially gems, held periodically for wholesalers.
Older Use. a great deal: It's a sight better to work than to starve.
an observation taken with a surveying, navigating, or other instrument to ascertain an exact position or direction.
any of various mechanical or optical viewing devices, as on a firearm or surveying instrument, for aiding the eye in aiming.
Obsolete. skill; insight.
to see, glimpse, notice, or observe: to sight a ship to the north.
to take a sight or observation of (a stake, coastline, etc.), especially with surveying or navigating instruments.
to direct or aim by a sight or sights, as a firearm.
to provide with sights or adjust the sights of, as a gun.
to aim or observe through a sight.
to look carefully in a certain direction.
Idioms about sight
at first sight, at the first glimpse; at once: It was love at first sight.
at sight,
immediately upon seeing, especially without referring elsewhere for assurance, further information, etc.: to translate something at sight.
Commerce. on presentation: a draft payable at sight.
catch sight of, to get a glimpse of; espy: We caught sight of the lake below.
in plain sight. See entry at in plain sight.
know by sight, to recognize (a person or thing) seen previously: I know him by sight, but I know nothing about him.
not by a long sight, Informal. definitely not: Is that all? Not by a long sight.
on / upon sight, immediately upon seeing: to shoot him on sight;to recognize someone on sight.
out of sight,
beyond one's range of vision.
Informal. beyond reason; exceedingly high: The price is out of sight.
sight for sore eyes, someone or something whose appearance on the scene is cause for relief or gladness.
sight unseen, without previous examination: to buy something sight unseen.
Origin of sight
1Other words from sight
- sight·a·ble, adjective
- sight·er, noun
- re·sight, verb (used with object)
- un·der·sight, noun
Words that may be confused with sight
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use sight in a sentence
Now Jeff Bezos has focused his sights on populating distant galaxies.
Jeff Bezos: ‘I See Millions Working in Outer Space’ | Lloyd Grove | December 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTMany of the women also claimed they were in emotionally vulnerable states when Cosby allegedly set his sights on them.
Bill Cosby’s Long List of Accusers (So Far): 18 Alleged Sexual Assault Victims Between 1965-2004 | Marlow Stern | November 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTI was with a reporter, Lenny Bernstein, whom she had caught in her sights.
An international brand is in her five-year plan, and most things this young designer sets her sights on tend to come true.
New York Fashion Week's Teen Sensation: Isabella Rose Taylor, 13, Stages A Sartorial Revolution | Justin Jones | September 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBillionaire Michael Bloomberg already had the gun lobby in his sights.
This reading secures scarcely anything more than a succession of sights to the eye or sounds to the ear.
Assimilative Memory | Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)MacRae's seat, stone-marker, and aboriginal spearhead; the three lined up like the sights of a modern rifle.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. SinclairThis was his first journey into the country, and the many strange sights drew exclamations of surprise and wonder from him.
Our Little Korean Cousin | H. Lee M. PikeDrunkards are not frequent sights in the Quarter; and yet when these people do get drunk, they become as irresponsible as maniacs.
The Real Latin Quarter | F. Berkeley SmithHe had come up from Nancy that morning, and had since occupied the time in strolling about seeing the sights of the little place.
The Doctor of Pimlico | William Le Queux
British Dictionary definitions for sight
/ (saɪt) /
the power or faculty of seeing; perception by the eyes; vision: Related adjectives: optical, visual
the act or an instance of seeing
the range of vision: within sight of land
range of mental vision; point of view; judgment: in his sight she could do nothing wrong
a glimpse or view (esp in the phrases catch sight of, lose sight of)
anything that is seen
(often plural) anything worth seeing; spectacle: the sights of London
informal anything unpleasant or undesirable to see: his room was a sight!
any of various devices or instruments used to assist the eye in making alignments or directional observations, esp such a device used in aiming a gun
an observation or alignment made with such a device
an opportunity for observation
obsolete insight or skill
a sight informal a great deal: she's a sight too good for him
a sight for sore eyes a person or thing that one is pleased or relieved to see
at sight or on sight
as soon as seen
on presentation: a bill payable at sight
know by sight to be familiar with the appearance of without having personal acquaintance: I know Mr Brown by sight but we have never spoken
not by a long sight informal on no account; not at all
out of sight
slang not visible
extreme or very unusual
(as interj.): that's marvellous!
set one's sights on to have (a specified goal) in mind; aim for
sight unseen without having seen the object at issue: to buy a car sight unseen
(tr) to see, view, or glimpse
(tr)
to furnish with a sight or sights
to adjust the sight of
to aim (a firearm) using the sight
Origin of sight
1Derived forms of sight
- sightable, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with sight
In addition to the idioms beginning with sight
- sight for sore eyes, a
- sight unseen
also see:
- at first blush (sight)
- at sight
- can't stand the sight of
- catch sight of
- heave into sight
- in sight
- know by sight
- lose sight of
- love at first sight
- lower one's sights
- on sight
- out of sight
- raise one's sights
- second sight
- see the sights
- set one's sights on
- twenty-twenty hindsight
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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