sight

1 of 3

noun

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 3

verb

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 3

adjective

1

: based on recognition or comprehension without previous study

sight translation

2

: payable on presentation

a sight draft

Phrases

in sight

: at or within a reasonable distance or time

on sight

: as soon as seen

ordered to shoot on sight

out of sight

1

: beyond comparison

2

: beyond all expectation or reason

3

—used as a generalized expression of approval

sight for sore eyes

: one whose appearance or arrival is an occasion for joy or relief

Did you know?

Cite, Sight, and Site

As homophones—words that sound alike but are distinct— cite, sight, and site are easily confused, but they have different meanings, uses, and origins.

Cite is most often encountered in the sense of "to name in a citation"—that is, a line or short section taken from a piece of writing or a speech; it may also mean "to mention as an example" or "to order to appear in a court of law." Cite is from the Latin citare, "to rouse, call on, summon," source too of citation and recite.

Most of the senses of sight are concerned with 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"). Sight is also used in a number of fixed phrases, such as "out of sight, out of mind," "sight unseen," and "set one's sights on." Sight comes from Old English gesiht, meaning "the faculty or act of sight, thing seen."

Site is most often concerned with location; it is related to situate, "to locate," and situation, "relative position or combination of circumstances at a particular moment." A building site is the place where a building is, or will be, located. In contemporary English, site is frequently used as a shortened form of website, to refer to the location of a group of web pages. Site comes from Latin situs, meaning "place, position, site."

Associating citation with cite, eyesight with sight, and situate with site may be helpful in applying these correctly.

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

Examples of sight in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Leaving an almost empty roll of toilet paper with no replacement in sight is certain to cause issues. —Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 23 Nov. 2024

The animation, especially on the desolate, barren Earth, is a sight to behold. —Jennifer M. Wood, WIRED, 21 Nov. 2024

Verb

New Yorkers enjoyed a rare whale sighting on Monday after one was spotted swimming under the Brooklyn Bridge. —Andrea Margolis, Fox News, 27 Nov. 2024

More recently, a 4.4-magnitude earthquake occurred in Los Angeles two days after the August oarfish sighting this year. —Marina Watts, People.com, 19 Nov. 2024

Adjective

Cohen recently shared a funny parenting moment on Instagram, where he was baffled to discover a toy that shows flashcards with a sight word and photo for toddler daughter also included a set of cards with car brands and their logos. —Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 26 Feb. 2024

In an earlier video shared on his Instagram Story, Cohen was baffled to discover a toy that shows flashcards with a sight word and photo for toddler daughter Lucy Eve, 20 months, also included a set of cards with car brands and their logos. —Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 16 Jan. 2024

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

• a far sight
• a sight to see/behold
• a sight/wonder to behold
• at first sight
• at the sight of
• by sight
• come in/within sight of (something)
• drop out of sight
• get out of my sight
• heave in/into sight
• in plain sight
• in someone's line of sight
• into sight
• line of sight
• lose one's sight
• lose sight of
• no end in sight
• not a pretty sight
• open sight
• out of sight, out of mind
• peep sight
• second sight
• shoot on sight
• short sight
• sight gag
• sight hound
• sight line
• sight-read
• sight rhyme
• sight unseen
• within sight of (something)

Kids Definition

sight

1 of 2 noun

ˈsīt 

1

: something that is seen : spectacle

2

a

: something that is worth seeing

showed us the sights of the city

b

: something that is peculiar, funny, or messy

you're a sight

3

: the process, power, or function of seeing

especially : the animal sense of which the sense organ is the eye and by which the position, shape, and color of objects are perceived

4

: the act of seeing

knows him by sight

faints at the sight of blood

5

: the perception of an object within the visual field

lost sight of the plane

6

: the space over which a person can see

a ship came into sight

7

: a device that aids the eye in aiming or in finding the direction of an object

8

plural : aspiration sense 3a, goal sense 2

set her sights on a career in law

sight

2 of 2 verb

1

: to get or catch sight of

several bears were sighted

2

: to look at through or as if through a sight

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