sight

The ability to see with your eyes.

• His sight is getting worse.
• She lost her sight as a child.
• The treatment restored some of his sight.

Similar words: vision, eyesight

Opposites: blindness

Common phrases: lose your sight, poor sight, sense of sight

Something you see, especially something that causes a strong feeling.

• The flowers were a beautiful sight.
• Her smiling face was a welcome sight.
• We saw some strange sights on our journey.

Similar words: scene, spectacle

Common phrases: a beautiful sight, a welcome sight, a strange sight, a familiar sight

The act or experience of seeing someone or something.

• The sight of blood made him faint.
• We caught sight of a deer.
• She cried at the sight of her old home.

How to use it: the sight of someone/something (The sight of her dog made her smile.); catch/lose sight of someone/something (I lost sight of the boat in the fog.)

Similar words: view, glimpse

Common phrases: catch sight of, the sight of, lose sight of

A place or thing that people visit because it is interesting to see.

• The castle is the town’s most famous sight.
• We spent the morning seeing the sights.
• Which sights should we visit first?

Similar words: attraction

Common phrases: see the sights, a famous sight, a tourist sight

A part of a gun or other weapon that helps you aim at a target.

• The rifle has a new sight.
• He adjusted the sight before firing.
• She looked through the sight at the distant target.

Common phrases: a rifle sight, a telescopic sight, adjust the sight

To notice or see something, often after looking for it or from far away.

• We sighted land at dawn.
• The crew sighted a whale near the boat.
• Have any hikers sighted the missing dog?

Similar words: spot, see

Common phrases: sight land, sight a whale, sight something offshore

To fit or adjust a gun’s aiming device so that its shots go where you aim.

• He sighted the rifle carefully.
• We sighted in the new gun at the range.
• Can you sight this rifle before the competition?

How to use it: sight something in (She sighted the rifle in at the shooting range.)

Similar words: zero

Common phrases: sight a rifle, sight a gun, sight something in