sight
1 of 3noun
ˈsīt 
1
: something that is seen : spectacle
2
a
: a thing regarded as worth seeing —usually used in plural
the sights of the city
b
: something ludicrous or disorderly in appearance
you look a sight
3
a
chiefly dialectal : a great number or quantity
b
: a good deal : lot
a far sight better
not by a damn sight
4
a
: the process, power, or function of seeing
specifically : the physical sense by which light stimuli received by the eye are interpreted by the brain and constructed into a representation of the position, shape, brightness, and usually color of objects in space
b
: mental or spiritual perception
c
: mental view
specifically : judgment
5
a
: the act of looking at or beholding
b
: inspection, perusal
c
: view, glimpse
d
: an observation to determine direction or position (as by a navigator)
6
a
: a perception of an object by or as if by the eye
never lost sight of the objective
b
: the range of vision
was nowhere in sight
7
: presentation of a note or draft to the maker or draftee : demand
8
a
: a device that aids the eye in aiming or in finding the direction of an object
b
sights plural : aspiration
set her sights on a medical career
sight
2 of 3verb
sighted; sighting; sights
transitive verb
1
: to get or catch sight of
several whales were sighted
2
: to look at through or as if through a sight
especially : to test for straightness
3
: to aim by means of sights
4
a
: to equip with sights
b
: to adjust the sights of
intransitive verb
1
: to take aim
2
: to look carefully in a particular direction
sight
3 of 3adjective
1
: based on recognition or comprehension without previous study
sight translation
2
: payable on presentation
a sight draft
Did you know?
Cite, Sight, and Site
The three homophones cite, sight, and site are occasionally confused by some people when used as nouns (sight and site) or as verbs (all three words). They needn’t cause trouble: with a little thought, most people who struggle with them can settle upon the correct choice.
Cite is most often encountered in the sense of “to name in a citation”; it may also mean “to mention as an example” or “to order to appear in a court of law.“
Most of the senses of sight are concerned with the act or action of seeing. A wonderful spectacle might be described as a sight, as might the general capacity to see anything (“my sight is not as good as it once was”).
Site is most often concerned with location; it is related to the verb situate "to locate" and situation "a position." A building site is the place where the building is, or will be, located. In contemporary English, site has increasingly been used as a shortened form of website, for the location of a specific page on the Internet.
If you connect citation with cite, eyesight with sight, and situate with site, you are unlikely to make an error.
Synonyms
Noun
- company
- presence
Verb
- behold
- catch
- descry
- discern
- distinguish
- espy
- eye
- look (at)
- note
- notice
- observe
- perceive
- regard
- remark
- see
- spot
- spy
- view
- witness
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Noun She regained sight in her left eye. The officers were ordered to shoot on sight. Keep out of sight until I tell you it's OK to come out. The child wandered out of sight. Don't let the puppy out of your sight. The rabbit disappeared from sight into the tall grass. The controls are hidden from sight behind a panel. Verb They sighted a ship in the distance. Several bears have been sighted in the area. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 10 Sep. 2022 Inflation was bad and getting worse, with no end in sight; many were predicting an imminent recession. Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 9 Sep. 2022 Now, the finish line to an extensive renovation project is in sight. Bob Dohr, Journal Sentinel, 9 Sep. 2022 There’s not a single model to be found, although comedian Hannah Pilkes, one of the 12 comedians cast in the show, towers over everyone in sight at nearly six feet tall. Tara Gonzalez, Harper's BAZAAR, 9 Sep. 2022 An end to the virus' spread, however, is not in sight. Fox News, 8 Sep. 2022 For her part, Moss has never expressed an interest to end The Handmaid’s Tale, but agreed with Miller that there was always an ending in sight. Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Sep. 2022 China’s mega city of Chengdu has extended its Covid lockdown for a second time, with no end in sight as authorities struggle to eradicate an outbreak that is continuing despite stringent restrictions that have upended businesses and daily life. Yong Xiong, CNN, 8 Sep. 2022 There’s an end in sight to the heat wave that has Utah in its grip, but only after the state suffers through another day of record-breaking temperatures. Scott D. Pierce, The Salt Lake Tribune, 7 Sep. 2022 Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 8 Apr. 2022 But the country’s religious affairs minister had announced Friday that Ramadan would start on Sunday, after Islamic astronomers in the country failed to sight the new moon. Samy Magdy, Anchorage Daily News, 3 Apr. 2022 In 1840, the Maori sailor Te Atu became the first New Zealander to sight the Antarctic Coast while aboard a United States expedition in the southern oceans. New York Times, 2 July 2021 The outdoor athletes to whom Yosemite Valley serves as a second home are always trying to sight the next audacious feat in the mountains: rock climbing, skiing, BASE jumping. Gregory Thomas, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 June 2021 In 1642, a Dutch explorer became the first European to sight New Zealand. Cynthia Ozick, The New Yorker, 14 June 2021 While Gojira-purists will sight their earlier classics From Mars To Sirius (2005) or The Way Of All Flesh (2008) as their magnum opuses, Gojira were able to craft an accessible yet heavy sound on Magma that was unlike any of their previous records. Quentin Singer, Forbes, 7 May 2021 Did Russian astronomer Kozyrev really sight a volcanic burst on the moon? Dan Q. Posin, Popular Mechanics, 11 Mar. 2021 After stretching a string from nail to nail, use this line to sight the tops of the slats. Merle Henkenius, Popular Mechanics, 23 Oct. 2020 Fred Swegles, Orange County Register, 22 Feb. 2017 Sure, there are parts that stretch credibility (a tiny but apparently evil, rabbit is one), and there are sight jokes galore. Joanne Engelhardt, The Mercury News, 3 May 2017 See More
Noun
Tiafoe did not make things easy with the finish line in sight but eventually relented after 4 hours, 19 minutes when a few tired-looking shots and missed first serves helped Alcaraz finish it with a break. Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 10 Sep. 2022 Inflation was bad and getting worse, with no end in sight; many were predicting an imminent recession. Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 9 Sep. 2022 Now, the finish line to an extensive renovation project is in sight. Bob Dohr, Journal Sentinel, 9 Sep. 2022 There’s not a single model to be found, although comedian Hannah Pilkes, one of the 12 comedians cast in the show, towers over everyone in sight at nearly six feet tall. Tara Gonzalez, Harper's BAZAAR, 9 Sep. 2022 An end to the virus' spread, however, is not in sight. Fox News, 8 Sep. 2022 For her part, Moss has never expressed an interest to end The Handmaid’s Tale, but agreed with Miller that there was always an ending in sight. Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Sep. 2022 China’s mega city of Chengdu has extended its Covid lockdown for a second time, with no end in sight as authorities struggle to eradicate an outbreak that is continuing despite stringent restrictions that have upended businesses and daily life. Yong Xiong, CNN, 8 Sep. 2022 There’s an end in sight to the heat wave that has Utah in its grip, but only after the state suffers through another day of record-breaking temperatures. Scott D. Pierce, The Salt Lake Tribune, 7 Sep. 2022 Verb
Next stop is southern Patagonia to sight the frostbitten Andes and icy fjords. Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 8 Apr. 2022 But the country’s religious affairs minister had announced Friday that Ramadan would start on Sunday, after Islamic astronomers in the country failed to sight the new moon. Samy Magdy, Anchorage Daily News, 3 Apr. 2022 In 1840, the Maori sailor Te Atu became the first New Zealander to sight the Antarctic Coast while aboard a United States expedition in the southern oceans. New York Times, 2 July 2021 The outdoor athletes to whom Yosemite Valley serves as a second home are always trying to sight the next audacious feat in the mountains: rock climbing, skiing, BASE jumping. Gregory Thomas, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 June 2021 In 1642, a Dutch explorer became the first European to sight New Zealand. Cynthia Ozick, The New Yorker, 14 June 2021 While Gojira-purists will sight their earlier classics From Mars To Sirius (2005) or The Way Of All Flesh (2008) as their magnum opuses, Gojira were able to craft an accessible yet heavy sound on Magma that was unlike any of their previous records. Quentin Singer, Forbes, 7 May 2021 Did Russian astronomer Kozyrev really sight a volcanic burst on the moon? Dan Q. Posin, Popular Mechanics, 11 Mar. 2021 After stretching a string from nail to nail, use this line to sight the tops of the slats. Merle Henkenius, Popular Mechanics, 23 Oct. 2020 Adjective
Officials say the goal is to improve safety by giving drivers more sight distance. Fred Swegles, Orange County Register, 22 Feb. 2017 Sure, there are parts that stretch credibility (a tiny but apparently evil, rabbit is one), and there are sight jokes galore. Joanne Engelhardt, The Mercury News, 3 May 2017 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English, from Old English gesiht faculty or act of sight, thing seen; akin to Old High German gisiht sight, Old English sēon to see
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1602, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Adjective
1801, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing sight
Kids Definition
sight 1 of 2
noun
ˈsīt
1
: the function, process, or power of seeing : the sense by which a person or animal becomes aware of the position, form, and color of objects
2
: the act of seeing
It was love at first sight.
3
: something that is seen : spectacle The northern lights were an amazing sight.
4
: something that is worth seeing
He showed us the sights of the city.
5
: something that is peculiar, funny, or messy
You're a sight!
6
: the presence of an object within the field of vision
I can't stand the sight of blood.
She caught sight of an eagle.
7
: the distance a person can see
A ship came into sight.
8
: a device (as a small metal bead on a gun barrel) that aids the eye in aiming or in finding the direction of an object
sight
2 of 2verb
sighted; sighting
1
: to get a look at : see
Their dog was sighted in a neighbor's garden.
2
: to look at through or as if through a device that aids the eye in aiming or in finding the direction of an object
Medical Definition
sight
noun
ˈsīt
1
: something that is seen
2
: the process, power, or function of seeing
specifically : the one of the five basic physical senses by which light stimuli received by the eye are interpreted by the brain and constructed into a representation of the position, shape, brightness, and usually color of objects in space
3
a
: a perception of an object by the eye
b
: the range of vision
Legal Definition
sight
adjective
: payable on presentation see also sight draft at draft
sights 1 of 2
noun
1
as in glimpses
an instance of looking especially briefly he always fainted at the merest sight of blood Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- glimpses
- looks
- glances
- peeks
- views
- stares
- peeps
- eyes
- regards
- gazes
- ganders
- glares
- casts
- ogles
- leers
- gapes
- squints
- side-glances
- squinnies
- coups d'oeil
2
as in horrors
something unpleasant to look at the frat house was a sight the morning after the party Synonyms & Similar Words
- horrors
- messes
- frights
- eyesores
- monstrosities
- hideosities
- spots
- blots
- stains
- smears
- smudges
- eye-catchers
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- visions
3
as in loads
a considerable amount this place sure is a good sight better than that last motel Synonyms & Similar Words
- loads
- tons
- slews
- deals
- wealths
- piles
- lots
- chunks
- dozens
- hundreds
- quantities
- plenties
- bunches
- stacks
- mountains
- masses
- hundred
- rafts
- dozen
- myriads
- abundances
- bundles
- heaps
- multiplicities
- barrels
- yards
- profusions
- platefuls
- stores
- much
- scads
- volumes
- gobs
- fistfuls
- buckets
- pots
- basketfuls
- wads
- good deals
- boatloads
- reams
- oodles
- potfuls
- plenitudes
- shiploads
- pecks
- packs
- truckloads
- messes
- bushels
- sheaves
- carloads
- passels
- spates
- lashins
- all kinds (of)
- basketsful
- multitudes
- lashings
- plentitudes
- excesses
- scores
- quite a bit
- thousands
- crowds
- floods
- rashes
- hordes
- millions
- seas
- hosts
- embarrassments
- throngs
- plagues
- epidemics
- surpluses
- million
- swarms
- bonanzas
- zillions
- flocks
- surfeits
- armies
- superfluities
- legions
- plethoras
- trillions
- mobs
- redundancies
- superabundances
- bevies
- herds
- crushes
- overabundances
- oversupplies
- presses
- gazillions
- overkills
- overages
- overmuch
- droves
- deluges
- overflows
- crams
- jillions
- kazillions
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- spots
- tastes
- shadows
- shades
- suspicions
- strains
- bits
- hints
- fragments
- specks
- molecules
- rays
- drams
- touches
- traces
- particles
- dots
- streaks
- grains
- glimmers
- atoms
- mouthfuls
- scruples
- ounces
- licks
- shots
- aces
- nips
- mites
- peanuts
- granules
- scraps
- sprinkles
- flecks
- sprinklings
- little
- pieces
- sections
- motes
- pinches
- crumbs
- driblets
- portions
- shreds
- dabs
- pittances
- morsels
- drops
- handfuls
- nubbins
- dashes
- smidgeons
- flyspecks
- handsful
- whits
- smidgins
- smatterings
- modicums
- shortages
- tittles
- deficiencies
- scintillas
- smidgens
- jots
- wants
- deficits
- smatters
- smidges
- absences
- lacks
- inadequacies
- scarcities
- iotas
- famines
- insufficiencies
- poverties
- undersupplies
- paucities
- dearths
sights
2 of 2verb
as in spots
to make note of (something) through the use of one's eyes the crew felt a rush of excitement upon hearing that the lookout had sighted land Synonyms & Similar Words
- spots
- eyes
- notices
- views
- sees
- remarks
- regards
- notes
- witnesses
- spies
- watches
- perceives
- beholds
- discerns
- espies
- descries
- observes
- catches
- sets eyes on
- distinguishes
- lays eyes on
- glimpses
- looks (at)
- gets a load of
- picks out
- marks
- identifies
- scans
- studies
- surveys
- considers
- heeds
- minds
- makes out
- scrutinizes
- inspects
- attends (to)
- picks up
- examines
- peers (at)
- glances (at)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- ignores
- misses
- disregards
- neglects
- passes over
- overlooks
- overpasses