saɪt 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. øat
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. øøsighter n. [OE (ge)sihth]