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Sight definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SIGHT, n.
1. The act of seeing; perception of objects by the eye; view; as, to gain sight of land; to have a sight of a landscape; to lose sight of a ship at sea. A cloud received him out of their sight. Acts 1.
2. The faculty of vision, or of perceiving objects by the instrumentality of the eyes. It has been doubted whether moles have sight. Milton lost his sight. The sight usually fails at of before fifty years of age. O loss of sight, of thee I most complain.
3. Open view; the state of admitting unobstructed vision; a being within the limits of vision. The harbor is in sight of the town. The shore of Long Island is in sight of New Haven. The White mountain is in plain sight at Portland, in Maine; a mountain is or is not within sight; an engagement at sea is within sight of land.
4. Notice from seeing; knowledge; as a letter intended for the sight of one person only.
5. Eye; the instrument of seeing. From the depth of hell they lift their sight.
6. An aperture through which objects are to be seen; or something to direct the vision; as the sight of a quadrant; the sight of a fowling piece or a rifle.
7. That which is beheld; a spectacle; a show; particularly, something wonderful. They never saw a sight so fair. Moses said, I will now turn aside and see the great sight, why the bush is not burned. Exodus 3. Fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. To take sight, to take aim; to look for purpose of directing a piece of artillery, etc.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an instance of visual perception; "the sight of his wife brought him back to reality"; "the train was an unexpected sight"
2: anything that is seen; "he was a familiar sight on the television"; "they went to Paris to see the sights"
3: the ability to see; the visual faculty [syn: sight, vision, visual sense, visual modality]
4: a range of mental vision; "in his sight she could do no wrong"
5: the range of vision; "out of sight of land" [syn: sight, ken]
6: the act of looking or seeing or observing; "he tried to get a better view of it"; "his survey of the battlefield was limited" [syn: view, survey, sight]
7: (often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent; "a batch of letters"; "a deal of trouble"; "a lot of money"; "he made a mint on the stock market"; "see the rest of the winners in our huge passel of photos"; "it must have cost plenty"; "a slew of journalists"; "a wad of money" [syn: batch, deal, flock, good deal, great deal, hatful, heap, lot, mass, mess, mickle, mint, mountain, muckle, passel, peck, pile, plenty, pot, quite a little, raft, sight, slew, spate, stack, tidy sum, wad] v
1: catch sight of; to perceive with the eyes; "he caught sight of the king's men coming over the ridge" [syn: spy, sight]
2: take aim by looking through the sights of a gun (or other device)

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English gesiht faculty or act of sight, thing seen; akin to Old High German gisiht sight, Old English s?on to see Date: before 12th century 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 dialect 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. plural aspiration <set her sights on a medical career> II. verb Date: 1602 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 III. adjective Date: 1801 1. based on recognition or comprehension without previous study <sight translation> 2. payable on presentation <a sight draft>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a the faculty of seeing with the eyes (lost his sight). b the act or an instance of seeing; the state of being seen. 2 a thing seen; a display, show, or spectacle (not a pretty sight; a beautiful sight). 3 a way of looking at or considering a thing (in my sight he can do no wrong). 4 a range of space within which a person etc. can see or an object be seen (he's out of sight; they are just coming into sight). 5 (usu. in pl.) noteworthy features of a town, area, etc. (went to see the sights). 6 a a device on a gun or optical instrument used for assisting the precise aim or observation. b the aim or observation so gained (got a sight of him). 7 colloq. a person or thing having a ridiculous, repulsive, or dishevelled appearance (looked a perfect sight). 8 colloq. a great quantity (will cost a sight of money; is a sight better than he was). --v.tr. 1 get sight of, esp. by approaching (they sighted land). 2 observe the presence of (esp. aircraft, animals, etc.) (sighted buffalo). 3 take observations of (a star etc.) with an instrument. 4 a provide (a gun, quadrant, etc.) with sights. b adjust the sight of (a gun etc.). c aim (a gun etc.) with sights. Phrases and idioms: at first sight on first glimpse or impression. at (or on) sight as soon as a person or a thing has been seen (plays music at sight; liked him on sight). catch (or lose) sight of begin (or cease) to see or be aware of. get a sight of manage to see; glimpse. have lost sight of no longer know the whereabouts of. in sight 1 visible. 2 near at hand (salvation is in sight). in (or within) sight of so as to see or be seen from. lower one's sights become less ambitious. out of my sight! go at once! out of sight 1 not visible. 2 colloq. excellent; delightful. out of sight out of mind we forget the absent. put out of sight hide, ignore. set one's sights on aim at (set her sights on a directorship). sight for the gods (or sight for sore eyes) a welcome person or thing, esp. a visitor. sight-glass a transparent device for observing the interior of apparatus etc. sighting shot an experimental shot to guide riflemen in adjusting their sights. sight-line a hypothetical line from a person's eye to what is seen. sight-read (past and past part. -read) read and perform (music) at sight. sight-reader a person who sight-reads. sight-screen Cricket a large white screen on wheels placed near the boundary in line with the wicket to help the batsman see the ball. sight-sing sing (music) at sight. sight unseen without previous inspection. Derivatives: sighter n. Etymology: OE (ge)sihth

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Sight Sight, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sighted; p. pr. & vb. n. Sighting.] 1. To get sight of; to see; as, to sight land; to sight a wreck. --Kane. 2. To look at through a sight; to see accurately; as, to sight an object, as a star. 3. To apply sights to; to adjust the sights of; also, to give the proper elevation and direction to by means of a sight; as, to sight a rifle or a cannon.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Sight Sight, n. [OE. sight, si?t, siht, AS. siht, gesiht, gesih?, gesieh?, gesyh?; akin to D. gezicht, G. sicht, gesicht, Dan. sigte, Sw. sigt, from the root of E. see. See See, v. t.] 1. The act of seeing; perception of objects by the eye; view; as, to gain sight of land. A cloud received him out of their sight. --Acts. i. 9. 2. The power of seeing; the faculty of vision, or of perceiving objects by the instrumentality of the eyes. Thy sight is young, And thou shalt read when mine begin to dazzle. --Shak. O loss of sight, of thee I most complain! --Milton. 3. The state of admitting unobstructed vision; visibility; open view; region which the eye at one time surveys; space through which the power of vision extends; as, an object within sight. 4. A spectacle; a view; a show; something worth seeing. Moses said, I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. --Ex. iii. 3. They never saw a sight so fair. --Spenser. 5. The instrument of seeing; the eye. Why cloud they not their sights? --Shak. 6. Inspection; examination; as, a letter intended for the sight of only one person. 7. Mental view; opinion; judgment; as, in their sight it was harmless. --Wake. That which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. --Luke xvi. 15. 8. A small aperture through which objects are to be seen, and by which their direction is settled or ascertained; as, the sight of a quadrant. Thier eyes of fire sparking through sights of steel. --Shak. 9. A small piece of metal, fixed or movable, on the breech, muzzle, center, or trunnion of a gun, or on the breech and the muzzle of a rifle, pistol, etc., by means of which the eye is guided in aiming. --Farrow. 10. In a drawing, picture, etc., that part of the surface, as of paper or canvas, which is within the frame or the border or margin. In a frame or the like, the open space, the opening. 11. A great number, quantity, or sum; as, a sight of money. [Now colloquial] Note: Sight in this last sense was formerly employed in the best usage. ``A sight of lawyers.'' --Latimer. A wonder sight of flowers. --Gower. At sight, as soon as seen, or presented to sight; as, a draft payable at sight: to read Greek at sight; to shoot a person at sight. Front sight (Firearms), the sight nearest the muzzle. Open sight. (Firearms) (a) A front sight through which the objects aimed at may be seen, in distinction from one that hides the object. (b) A rear sight having an open notch instead of an aperture. Peep sight, Rear sight. See under Peep, and Rear. Sight draft, an order, or bill of exchange, directing the payment of money at sight. To take sight, to take aim; to look for the purpose of directing a piece of artillery, or the like. Syn: Vision; view; show; spectacle; representation; exhibition.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Sight Sight, v. i. (Mil.) To take aim by a sight.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(sights, sighting, sighted) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. 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 N-UNCOUNT: oft poss N 2. 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. N-SING: the N of n 3. A sight is something that you see. We encountered the pathetic sight of a family packing up its home... N-COUNT: usu with supp, oft adj N 4. 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... VERB: V n 5. The sights of a weapon such as a rifle are the part which helps you aim it more accurately. N-COUNT: usu pl 6. 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... N-PLURAL: usu the N, oft N of n 7. 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... ADV: ADV adj/adv [emphasis] 8. see also sighted, sighting 9. 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 PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n 10. 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... PHRASE: PHR with cl 11. 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. PHRASE: usu v-link PHR 12. 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... PHRASE: v-link PHR 13. 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 PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n 14. 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... PHRASE 15. 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... PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Perception, view, ken, cognizance. 2. Vision, sense of sight. 3. Open view, visibility. 4. Knowledge, view, estimation, consideration. 5. Spectacle, show, exhibition, representation. 6. Inspection, examination. 7. Eye or eyes. II. v. a. See, perceive, get sight of.

Moby Thesaurus

Anschauung, aim, aim at, airscape, amazement, angle, angle of vision, assumption, astonishing thing, astonishment, atrocity, attitude, awe-inspiring, baboon, bag, barrel, basis, batch, behold, bend, blemish, blot, bombsight, brilliant, catch sight of, chromesthesia, cityscape, clap eyes on, clear sight, climate of opinion, cloudscape, color hearing, color vision, command, common belief, community sentiment, conceit, concept, conception, conclusion, cone vision, consensus gentium, considerable, consideration, cool, cosmorama, curiosity, cyclorama, day vision, daylight vision, deal, dekko, descry, determine, diorama, direct, directionize, disaster, discern, discernment, discover, display, distant, distinguish, dog, domination, espy, estimate, estimation, ethos, exception, exhibit, exhibition, exposition, extraordinary, eye, eye-mindedness, eyeful, eyereach, eyes, eyeshot, eyesight, eyesore, farsight, farsightedness, feeling, field of view, field of vision, finder, five senses, fix, fix on, footing, frame of reference, framework, fright, gargoyle, gaze, gazingstock, general belief, georama, glance at, glimpse, glom, gobs, good deal, great deal, hag, harridan, have in sight, heap, heaps, hearing, hold on, horizon, idea, identify, imaginative, imperceptible, impression, incredible, invisible, jolting, judgment, keen sight, ken, landscape, lashings, lay eyes on, leaf sight, leer, leering look, level at, light, light show, lights, limit of vision, line of sight, loads, look, look on, look upon, look-in, lookout, lot, lots, lump, lustful leer, make out, mark, marvel, marvelment, mass, mental outlook, mess, mind, mint, miracle, monster, monstrosity, moving, much, myriorama, mystique, naked eye, neat, night vision, no beauty, nonesuch, note, notice, notion, observation, observe, oodles, open sight, opinion, out of sight, outlook, outlook over, outrageous, pack, pageant, pageantry, panorama, panoramic sight, parade, peck, peek, peep, peep sight, peer, perceive, perception, peripheral field, peripheral vision, personal judgment, perspective, perspicacity, perspicuity, phantasmagoria, phenomenon, phonism, photism, photopia, pick out, pile, piles, pipe, place, point, point at, point of view, point to, pomp, popular belief, position, posture, pot, power, power of sight, present, presentation, presumption, prevailing belief, preview, prodigy, prospect, psychedelic show, public belief, public opinion, purview, quick sight, quite a little, quite a thing, raft, rafts, range, rare, rarity, reaction, receptor, recognize, reference system, regard, remark, remote, representation, respect, riverscape, rod vision, scads, scan, scape, scarecrow, scene, scenery, scenic view, scope, scope of vision, scotopia, seascape, see, seeing, sensation, sense of sight, sense organ, senses, sensillum, sensorium, sensory organ, sentiment, set, shifting scene, shocking, show, side, sidelong look, sight on, sightedness, sighthole, sightliness, situation, sixth sense, skyscape, slant, slew, slews, sly look, smell, something else, spate, spectacle, spot, spy, stack, stacks, stage show, stance, stand, standpoint, stunner, survey, sweep, synesthesia, system, tableau, tableau vivant, take aim, take in, taste, teratism, theory, thinking, thought, tidy sum, touch, townscape, train, train upon, turn, turn upon, twig, twilight vision, ugly duckling, universe, unobstructed vision, unreal, unseeable, unusual, view, viewfinder, viewpoint, vision, vista, visual acuity, visual field, visual sense, wad, wads, waterscape, way of thinking, whole slew, witch, witness, wonder, wonderful thing, wonderment