sight
gb/sˈaɪt/ us/sˈaɪt/
A2
English
~ 1400
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A2
entity
1
the ability to see
The power to see things with your eyes.
Usage pattern:
[someone]'s sight
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'sight' with 'site'; 'site' means a location, not the ability to see.
Synonyms
vision (Slightly more formal or technical; often used in medical or poetic contexts.)
Antonyms
blindness (The complete lack of the ability to see.)
Collocations
lose sight
|good sight
|sharp sight
|restore sight
|weak sight
Themes
health
|human_body
|daily_life
|body
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Her sight began to fail in her late fifties.
- The treatment helped restore his sight after the accident.
- Good lighting can improve your sight when reading.
Learner examples
- I have good sight in my left eye.
- He lost his sight after the illness.
- The doctor checked my sight.
Noun
A2
entity
2
something that is seen
Something you see, especially something interesting or beautiful.
Usage pattern:
a sight of [something]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse 'sight' with 'site' when talking about tourist attractions; 'sight' is correct here.
Synonyms
scene (Often refers to a view or setting; can be broader than a single object.)
Antonyms
eyesore (Something unpleasant or ugly to look at.)
Collocations
beautiful sight
|strange sight
|familiar sight
|rare sight
|welcome sight
Themes
travel
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The mountains at sunrise are a breathtaking sight.
- It was a strange sight to see snow in April.
- Her smile was a welcome sight after a long day.
Learner examples
- The park is a nice sight.
- We saw many sights on our trip.
- That bird is a rare sight here.
Noun
B1
event
3
act of briefly seeing something
A short time when you see something.
Usage pattern:
catch sight of [something]
Synonyms
glimpse (Usually suggests an even briefer or less clear view.)
Antonyms
overlook (To fail to notice something.)
Collocations
catch sight
|lose sight
|first sight
Themes
daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- I caught sight of her as she boarded the bus.
- He disappeared from sight around the corner.
- It was love at first sight.
Learner examples
- I caught sight of my friend in the crowd.
- The cat ran out of sight.
- I saw her at first sight and smiled.
Noun
B2
entity
4
device for aiming a weapon or camera
A small part on a gun or camera that helps you aim at something.
Usage pattern:
aim through the sight
Synonyms
scope (Often refers to an optical aiming device, especially with magnification.)
Antonyms
misalignment (A state where aiming equipment is not properly directed.)
Collocations
gun sight
|rifle sight
|camera sight
Themes
technology
|sports
Examples
- He adjusted the rifle's sight before taking aim.
- The photographer looked through the camera's sight.
- The soldier cleaned the sights on his weapon.
Learner examples
- He looked through the gun's sight.
- The camera's sight helps me take a photo.
- I fixed the rifle's sight.
Grammar
Dictionary form
sight
IPA
GB/sˈaɪt/
US/sˈaɪt/
Syllables & stress
sight (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (sight)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: sight
- Plural: sight, sights
Word family
Forms
sights
noun
Core family
Related words
Negative and opposite forms
shortsighted
adjective
unsightly
adjective
sightless
adjective
Expressions
catch sight of
1/kˈæt͡ʃ sˈaɪt əv/
fixed phrase
to suddenly notice something visually
To see something for a short time, often by chance.
Examples
- I caught sight of an old friend at the station.
- She caught sight of a deer in the forest.
in sight
1/ˈɪn sˈaɪt/
fixed phrase
visible or near enough to be seen
Able to be seen; visible.
Examples
- The shore is finally in sight.
- No solution is in sight yet.
lose sight of
1/lˈuz sˈaɪt əv/
fixed phrase
to stop seeing; to forget an aim or fact
To stop being able to see something; to forget about an important idea or goal.
Examples
- He lost sight of the ball in the sun.
- Don't lose sight of why we started this project.
out of sight
1/ˈaʊt əv sˈaɪt/
fixed phrase
not able to be seen because hidden or far away
Not able to be seen because it is hidden or far away.
Examples
- The plane flew out of sight behind the clouds.
- Keep dangerous tools out of sight of children.
set one's sights on
1/sˈɛt wˈʌnz sˈaɪts ˈɔn/
idiom
to aim to achieve something specific
To decide you want to get or do something and work towards it.
Examples
- She set her sights on becoming a doctor.
- They have set their sights on winning the championship.