Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

sight       (sīt)  Pronunciation Key  n.   The ability to see. The act or fact of seeing: hoping for a sight of land; caught sight of a rare bird. Field of vision. The foreseeable future; prospect: no solution in sight. Mental perception or consideration: We lost sight of the purpose of our visit. Something seen; a view. Something worth seeing; a spectacle: the sights of London. Informal Something unsightly: Your hair is a sight. A device used to assist aim by guiding the eye, as on a firearm or surveying instrument. An aim or observation taken with such a device. An opportunity to observe or inspect. Upper Southern U.S. A large number or quantity: A sight of people were there. v.   sight·ed, sight·ing, sights v.   tr. To perceive with the eyes; get sight of: sighted land after 40 days at sea. To observe through a sight or an optical instrument: sight a target. To adjust the sights of (a rifle, for example). To take aim with (a firearm). v.   intr. To direct one's gaze; look carefully. To take aim: sighted along the barrel of the gun. [Middle English, from Old English sihth, gesiht, something seen; see sekw-2 in Indo-European roots.]

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
sight 

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

sight
noun
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
4.	a range of mental vision; "in his sight she could do no wrong"
5.	the range of vision; "out of sight of land"
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]
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]
verb
1.	catch sight of; to perceive with the eyes; "he caught sight of the king's men coming over the ridge" [syn: spy]
2.	take aim by looking through the sights of a gun (or other device)

American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms - Cite This Source - Share This

sight

In addition to the idioms beginning with sight, also see at first blush (sight); at sight; can't stand the sight of; catch sight of; heave into sight; in sight; know by sight; lose sight of; love at first sight; lower one's sights; on sight; out of sight; raise one's sights; second sight; see the sights; set one's sights on; twenty-twenty hindsight.

American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

sight (sīt)
n.

1. The ability to see.
2. Field of vision.

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: sight
Function: adjective
: payable on presentation —see also sight draft at DRAFT

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

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 Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

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 Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Sight

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