in sight
- idiom
- With the mountain peak in sight, we knew we were close to reaching our destination.
- no end in sight
- nowhere in sight
- the destination in sight
Examples
-
There were beautiful flowers in sight during our hike through the garden.
-
Soon, the company came in sight, and they certainly presented an imposing appearance.
Academic text (2006) -
It's in sight of all the houses.
-
Roger that, you have target area in sight.
-
We were on an open road, without a tree in sight big enough to offer shade.
Academic text (2009) -
The station itself was now in sight, seen from below and rapidly approaching.
Fiction book (1991) -
Riley found a parking place in sight of the warehouse and killed the engine.
Fiction book (1991) -
Target in sight.
-
Enemy in sight.
-
Gradually, the resort hotel came back in sight, surrounded by palm trees and thatched beach umbrellas.
Fiction book (1990)
Synonyms
Easy to see or notice
Easily seen because it is not hidden
Able to be seen on a screen or in a place
Something you can notice with your eyes
Antonyms
How Visible
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'visible; within a distance at which something can be seen' is directly and compositionally derived from 'in' (indicating position) + 'sight' (the area visible to the eye). This straightforward preposition + noun locative pattern is cross-linguistically common and would be readily inferable by a B1 learner who knows both constituents.
Etymology
In sight comes from the simple image of something moving into view. To be in your sight means you can see it, so in sight means 'visible' or 'near enough to be seen'.