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sight

sight

538 1.0
The ability to see or an impressive thing you see
  • noun
  • /saɪt/
translation icon : vista
  • Around midnight, I woke up to see a truly horrifying sight.
  • at first sight
  • catch sight
  • a sight to behold

She said it would be so much worse to be born with sight but no vision.

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Examples

  • A young waiter, looking a little dry-mouthed at the sight of her, is holding a telephone.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Vincent wondered, for the mere sight of them gave him an uneasy feeling of dread.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Never, never have I seen such a beautiful sight.

  • Such as, "How will I ever let my son out of my sight again?"

  • Get him out of my sight.

  • But it's a beautiful sight in in Eastern Oregon.

  • This is the best sight I've seen in all of Italy.

  • It's a sad sight.

  • Others stared, almost amazed at the sight of buildings pockmarked with bullet holes, like wounds torn.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The northern lights are a breathtaking sight that attracts many tourists to the region.

Synonyms

vision
vssight
263 1.0

The ability to see

also covers the act of seeing and notable things observed
sight of
vssight
217 3.1

What you see when you look at someone or something

adds the sensory experience and also names notable things seen
view
vssight
86 1.2

An act of looking carefully at something

is wider, also naming ability and impressive things seen
glimpse
vssight
69 3.2

A small, quick sign that something may be true

covers the full ability to see and notable, lasting things seen
eyesight
vssight
54 1.0

How well you can see with your eyes

also means the experience or notable thing that is observed
sight to behold
vssight
7 6.2

Something very beautiful or impressive to see

is broader, covering ability, acts, and ordinary things seen
eyeful
vssight
  • Informal
4 6.0

A full view of something attractive or impressive

is more general, also including ability and brief or ordinary views
visual sense
vssight
1 3.2

Being able to see with your eyes

is broader, including individual acts and impressive things seen
seeing
vssight
1.0

The ability to use your eyes to notice things

also refers to the ability and to notable things that are seen

Antonyms

70 3.1

A condition in which a person cannot see because of injury, disease, or being born that way

15 6.0

The state of not being seen by other people

Idioms

159 1.0

Able to be seen now or close by

When you first see something and notice or feel something right away

65 2.8

You cannot see it from here

Easily seen because it is not hidden

A strong feeling for someone the first time you see them

24 3.3

Immediately after you see or notice something

12 3.4

Kept where you cannot see it

9 4.2

A welcome person or thing you are glad to see after time away, for example after a hard time

Something very beautiful or impressive to see

5 3.2

All the things you can see that people often take or eat quickly

4 7.2

Without seeing something first, often when you buy it from photos

3 5.2

To be easy to see but not noticed by others

2 8.8

A lot better than someone or something else

2 4.8

Easy to see but not noticed because it looks ordinary

1 9.1

A lot more said in an informal, rude way to show a strong difference

9.9

A lot better than something else

fuck sight easier
  • Offensive
9.9

Much easier than expected, said in a rude way

Not true at all

7.2

An unpleasant scene that shocks people

Compounds

217 3.1

What you see when you look at someone or something

19 3.5

A straight view from your eye to an object with nothing blocking it

4 1.0

Something often seen in a place or situation

second sight
  • Literature
3 9.9

To see or know things before they happen

2 6.4

A joke you see that makes people laugh without words

A very beautiful view that makes you feel amazed

telescopic sight
  • Specialized
1 7.4

A small telescope fixed to a gun to help aim at distant targets

gun-sight
  • Specialized
1 4.2

A small device on a gun that helps you aim

sight draft
  • Formal
1 8.9

A written bill that is paid at once when shown to the person who must pay

battle sight
  • Specialized
8.5

An arrangement of sights on a gun that helps aim quickly at close targets

Being able to see in low light, for example at night

open sight
  • Specialized
7.3

A simple part on a gun with an open notch for aiming

panoramic sight
  • Specialized
9.9

A sight on a large gun that turns in a full circle to help aim accurately

peep sight
  • Specialized
8.0

A small rear part with a tiny hole that helps a shooter line up the front post and the target

telescope sight
  • Specialized
6.7

A small tube with lenses mounted on a gun to help aim at distant targets

sight bill
  • Formal
9.3

A written order that the bank or buyer must pay immediately when shown

sight setting
  • Specialized
8.5

A small change to a gun's aiming device so shots hit a target at a chosen distance

How Clear

sightedness
3 7.2
sight
538 1.0
blindness
70 3.1

Surface Forms

sight singular
sights plural

Etymology

Sight comes from an old English word for 'seeing' and is related to the simple verb see, so it originally meant both the act of seeing and 'a thing seen'. That's why sight now means the ability to see or something impressive you can see.