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.
a view; glimpse.
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 multitude; 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.
verb (used with object)
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.
verb (used without object)
to aim or observe through a sight.
to look carefully in a certain direction.
Idioms for 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.
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.
Slang.(often used as an interjection) fantastic; marvelous: a ceremony so glamorous it was out of sight.Oh wow! 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
before 950; Middle English (noun); Old English sihth (more often gesihth, gesiht; cognate with German Gesicht face; cf. y-), derivative of sēon to see1; see -th1
OTHER WORDS FROM sight
sight·a·ble,adjectivesighter,nounre·sight,verb (used with object)un·der·sight,noun
After losing his sight to smallpox in 1759 at the age of 2, John Gough developed a heightened sense of touch.
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Amid the maelstrom of negative news about the dangers of misinformation and the exploitation of private data, it’s easy to lose sight of how technology might help.
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Use the right mix of short-tail, long-tail, geo-targeting, and LSI keywords to help your business become a frequent sight on the first page of Google for industry-specific and local searches.
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Last week, you set your sights on breaking baseball records, albeit in a shortened season.
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I wonder if the seasoned salesman can spot the billionaires on sight.
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In the afternoon, about a thousand people marched in protest through the largest Prague square, with police nowhere in sight.
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Delevingne regrammed the photo a few hours after Jenner, writing, “LOVE at first sight.”
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Circus parades often became as large a sight as the performance itself; one Barnum and Bailey parade stretched for three miles.
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Previously unknown papyri crop up only to vanish into private collections and out of the sight of scholars forever.
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I shall only forge at night; and the building is out of the world, and wedged in, out of sight, between two bleak hills.
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She feared lest the sight of his gaolers might excite Jamie.
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The Monkeys at the sight of the nuts forgot their dancing and became (as indeed they were) Monkeys instead of actors.
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The building is so far beyond any familiar proportions that at first sight all details are lost upon its broad front.
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I felt indeed indignant at the sight thus permitted, and at the trade thus carried on.
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British Dictionary definitions for sight
sight
/ (saɪt) /
noun
the power or faculty of seeing; perception by the eyes; visionRelated adjectives: optical, visual
the act or an instance of seeing
the range of visionwithin sight of land
range of mental vision; point of view; judgmentin 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; spectaclethe sights of London
informalanything unpleasant or undesirable to seehis 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
obsoleteinsight or skill
a sightinformala great dealshe's a sight too good for him
a sight for sore eyesa person or thing that one is pleased or relieved to see
at sightoron sight
as soon as seen
on presentationa bill payable at sight
know by sightto be familiar with the appearance of without having personal acquaintanceI know Mr Brown by sight but we have never spoken
not by a long sightinformalon no account; not at all
out of sight
slangnot visible
extreme or very unusual
(as interj.)that's marvellous!
set one's sights onto have (a specified goal) in mind; aim for
sight unseenwithout having seen the object at issueto buy a car sight unseen
verb
(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
Derived forms of sight
sightable, adjective
Word Origin for sight
Old English sihth; related to Old High German siht; see see1
Sight Word Activities: Fun Ways To Help Kids Learn To Read And WriteTo help early readers and writers master "sight words," here are the basics you need to know, and a list of fun activities to get kids moving and creating.