sight

noun

\ ˈsīt

Definition of sight

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : something that is seen : spectacle

2a : 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

3a chiefly dialectal : a great number or quantity

b : a good deal : lot a far sight better not by a damn sight

4a : 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

5a : 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)

6a : 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

8a : 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

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

sight

verb

sighted; sighting; sights

Definition of sight (Entry 2 of 3)

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

4a : 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

adjective

Definition of sight (Entry 3 of 3)

1 : based on recognition or comprehension without previous study sight translation

2 : payable on presentation a sight draft

Synonyms Cite, Sight, and Site More Example Sentences Learn More about sight

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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.

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: Verb

Other balloons sighted at the festival include a bear, a koala bear and a panther. — Georgia Slater, PEOPLE.com, "Darth Vader Hot Air Balloon Floats Over British City — and Mark Hamill Loves It," 9 Aug. 2019 Kam McLeod, 19, and Bryer Schmegelsky, 18, were the subjects of an intense manhunt in rugged wilderness after being sighted around the small town of Gillam, more than 2,000 miles from the site of the three killings. —

sight

Definition of sight

Synonyms for sight

Cite, Sight, and Site

Examples of sight in a Sentence

WORD OF THE DAY

impunity