sight

[ sahyt ]

noun

1. the power or faculty of seeing; perception of objects by use of the eyes; vision.
2. an act, fact, or instance of seeing.
3. an instance of looking briefly; view; glimpse.
4. one's range of vision on some specific occasion:

   Land is in sight.

5. mental perception or regard; judgment.
6. something seen or worth seeing; spectacle:

   the sights of London.

7. Informal. something unusual, surprising, shocking, or distressing:

   They were a sight after the fight.

8. Commerce.
   1. presentation of a bill of exchange:

      a draft payable at two months after sight.

   2. a showing of goods, especially gems, held periodically for wholesalers.
9. Older Use. a great deal:

   It's a sight better to work than to starve.

10. an observation taken with a surveying, navigating, or other instrument to ascertain an exact position or direction.
11. any of various mechanical or optical viewing devices, as on a firearm or surveying instrument, for aiding the eye in aiming.
12. Obsolete. skill; insight.

verb (used with object)

1. to see, glimpse, notice, or observe:

   to sight a ship to the north.

2. to take a sight or observation of (a stake, coastline, etc.), especially with surveying or navigating instruments.
3. to direct or aim by a sight or sights, as a firearm.
4. to provide with sights or adjust the sights of, as a gun.

verb (used without object)

1. to aim or observe through a sight.
2. to look carefully in a certain direction.

sight

/ saɪt /

noun

1. the power or faculty of seeing; perception by the eyes; vision opticalvisual
2. the act or an instance of seeing
3. the range of vision

   within sight of land

4. range of mental vision; point of view; judgment

   in his sight she could do nothing wrong

5. a glimpse or view (esp in the phrases catch sight of, lose sight of )
6. anything that is seen
7. often plural anything worth seeing; spectacle

   the sights of London

8. informal.
   anything unpleasant or undesirable to see

   his room was a sight!

9. 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
10. an observation or alignment made with such a device
11. an opportunity for observation
12. obsolete.
    insight or skill
13. a sight informal.
    a great deal

    she's a sight too good for him

14. a sight for sore eyes
    a person or thing that one is pleased or relieved to see
15. at sight or on sight
    1. as soon as seen
    2. on presentation

       a bill payable at sight

16. 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

17. not by a long sight informal.
    on no account; not at all
18. out of sight
    1. not visible
    2. extreme or very unusual
    3. ( as interj. )

       that's marvellous!

19. set one's sights on
    to have (a specified goal) in mind; aim for
20. sight unseen
    without having seen the object at issue

    to buy a car sight unseen

verb

1. tr to see, view, or glimpse
2. tr
   1. to furnish with a sight or sights
   2. to adjust the sight of
3. to aim (a firearm) using the sight

Derived Forms

• ˈsightable, adjective

Other Words From

• sight·a·ble adjective
• sight·er noun
• re·sight verb (used with object)
• un·der·sight noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sight¹

First recorded before 950; Middle English (noun); Old English sihth (more often gesihth, gesiht; cognate with German Gesicht face; y- ), derivative of sēon “to see ¹ ”; -th ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of sight¹

Old English sihth; related to Old High German siht; see see ¹

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. at first sight, at the first glimpse; at once:

   It was love at first sight.

2. at sight,
   1. immediately upon seeing, especially without referring elsewhere for assurance, further information, etc.:

      to translate something at sight.

   2. Commerce. on presentation:

      a draft payable at sight.

3. catch sight of, to get a glimpse of; espy:

   We caught sight of the lake below.

4. know by sight, to recognize (a person or thing) seen previously:

   I know him by sight, but I know nothing about him.

5. not by a long sight, Informal. definitely not:

   Is that all? Not by a long sight.

6. on / upon sight, immediately upon seeing:

   to shoot him on sight;

   to recognize someone on sight.

7. out of sight,
   1. beyond one's range of vision.
   2. Informal. beyond reason; exceedingly high:

      The price is out of sight.

   3. Slang. (often used as an interjection) fantastic; marvelous:

      a ceremony so glamorous it was out of sight.

      Oh wow! Out of sight!

8. sight for sore eyes, someone or something whose appearance on the scene is cause for relief or gladness.
9. sight unseen, without previous examination:

   to buy something sight unseen.

10. in plain sight. in plain sight.

More idioms and phrases containing sight

• 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

Example Sentences

Endless acres of farmland are edged by mountains and lush forest; when the trees blaze with autumn colors, it’s a heavenly sight.

From Los Angeles Times

There isn’t a human in sight, but it appears the onetime owner of the home was a sculptor who was inspired by felines.

From Los Angeles Times

It definitely wasn’t love at first sight for either of them.

From Los Angeles Times

Hordes of foreign visitors climbing aboard a travel coach is a familiar sight in the Costa de Sol.

From BBC

Jenny - a senior high school student in China’s Anhui province – says she set her sights on Australia because getting a good quality education there is "easier" than getting into a fiercely competitive Chinese university.

From BBC