sight
♦♦ sight /s'aɪt/ (sights sighting sighted)
1 [N-UNCOUNT] oft poss N
Someone's sight is their ability to see.
My sight is failing, and I can't see to read any more...
I use the sense of sound much more than the sense of sight.
= vision
2 [N-SING] the N of n
The sight of something is the act of seeing it or an occasion on which you see it.
I faint at the sight of blood...
The sight of him entering a room could flood her with desire.
3 [N-COUNT] usu with supp, oft adj N
A sight is something that you see.
We encountered the pathetic sight of a family packing up its home...
4 [VERB] V n
If you sight someone or something, you suddenly see them, often briefly.
The security forces sighted a group of young men that had crossed the border...
5 [N-COUNT] usu pl
The sights of a weapon such as a rifle are the part which helps you aim it more accurately.
6 [N-PLURAL] usu the N, oft N of n
The sights are the places that are interesting to see and that are often visited by tourists.
I am going to show you the sights of our wonderful city...
7 [ADV] ADV adj/adv
You can use a sight to mean a lot. For example, if you say that something is a sight worse than it was before, you are emphasizing that it is much worse than it was. (INFORMAL)
She's been no more difficult than most daughters and a sight better than some I could mention...
8
see also sighted, sighting
9 [PHRASE] V inflects, PHR n
If you catch sight of someone, you suddenly see them, often briefly.
Then he caught sight of her small black velvet hat in the crowd...
= see
10 [PHRASE] PHR with cl
If you say that something seems to have certain characteristics at first sight, you mean that it appears to have the features you describe when you first see it but later it is found to be different.
It promised to be a more difficult undertaking than might appear at first sight...
11 [PHRASE] usu v-link PHR
If something is in sight or within sight, you can see it. If it is out of sight, you cannot see it.
The Atlantic coast is within sight of the hotel...
My companion suggested that we park out of sight of passing traffic to avoid attracting attention.
12 [PHRASE] v-link PHR
If a result or a decision is in sight or within sight, it is likely to happen within a short time.
An agreement on many aspects of trade policy was in sight...
13 [PHRASE] V inflects, PHR n
If you lose sight of an important aspect of something, you no longer pay attention to it because you are worrying about less important things.
In some cases, US industry has lost sight of customer needs in designing products...
= forget
14 [PHRASE]
If someone is ordered to do something on sight, they have to do it without delay, as soon as a person or thing is seen.
Troops shot anyone suspicious on sight...
15 [PHRASE] V inflects, PHR n
If you set your sights on something, you decide that you want it and try hard to get it.
They have set their sights on the world record...line of sight (lines of sight)
[N-COUNT] usu sing, oft with poss
Your line of sight is an imaginary line that stretches between your eye and the object that you are looking at.
He was trying to keep out of the bird's line of sight.sec|ond sight
[N-UNCOUNT]
If you say that someone has second sight, you mean that they seem to have the ability to know or see things that are going to happen in the future, or are happening in a different place.
1 [N-UNCOUNT] oft poss N
Someone's sight is their ability to see.
My sight is failing, and I can't see to read any more...
I use the sense of sound much more than the sense of sight.
= vision
2 [N-SING] the N of n
The sight of something is the act of seeing it or an occasion on which you see it.
I faint at the sight of blood...
The sight of him entering a room could flood her with desire.
3 [N-COUNT] usu with supp, oft adj N
A sight is something that you see.
We encountered the pathetic sight of a family packing up its home...
4 [VERB] V n
If you sight someone or something, you suddenly see them, often briefly.
The security forces sighted a group of young men that had crossed the border...
5 [N-COUNT] usu pl
The sights of a weapon such as a rifle are the part which helps you aim it more accurately.
6 [N-PLURAL] usu the N, oft N of n
The sights are the places that are interesting to see and that are often visited by tourists.
I am going to show you the sights of our wonderful city...
7 [ADV] ADV adj/adv
You can use a sight to mean a lot. For example, if you say that something is a sight worse than it was before, you are emphasizing that it is much worse than it was. (INFORMAL)
She's been no more difficult than most daughters and a sight better than some I could mention...
8
see also sighted, sighting
9 [PHRASE] V inflects, PHR n
If you catch sight of someone, you suddenly see them, often briefly.
Then he caught sight of her small black velvet hat in the crowd...
= see
10 [PHRASE] PHR with cl
If you say that something seems to have certain characteristics at first sight, you mean that it appears to have the features you describe when you first see it but later it is found to be different.
It promised to be a more difficult undertaking than might appear at first sight...
11 [PHRASE] usu v-link PHR
If something is in sight or within sight, you can see it. If it is out of sight, you cannot see it.
The Atlantic coast is within sight of the hotel...
My companion suggested that we park out of sight of passing traffic to avoid attracting attention.
12 [PHRASE] v-link PHR
If a result or a decision is in sight or within sight, it is likely to happen within a short time.
An agreement on many aspects of trade policy was in sight...
13 [PHRASE] V inflects, PHR n
If you lose sight of an important aspect of something, you no longer pay attention to it because you are worrying about less important things.
In some cases, US industry has lost sight of customer needs in designing products...
= forget
14 [PHRASE]
If someone is ordered to do something on sight, they have to do it without delay, as soon as a person or thing is seen.
Troops shot anyone suspicious on sight...
15 [PHRASE] V inflects, PHR n
If you set your sights on something, you decide that you want it and try hard to get it.
They have set their sights on the world record...line of sight (lines of sight)
[N-COUNT] usu sing, oft with poss
Your line of sight is an imaginary line that stretches between your eye and the object that you are looking at.
He was trying to keep out of the bird's line of sight.sec|ond sight
[N-UNCOUNT]
If you say that someone has second sight, you mean that they seem to have the ability to know or see things that are going to happen in the future, or are happening in a different place.