Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Popular Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

at sight

 - 6 dictionary results
AT&T™ Official Site
Phone, Internet, & TV or Wireless for Under $100 /month with AT&T.
att.com

sight

  [sahyt]
Use at sight in a Sentence
–noun
1. the power or faculty of seeing; perception of objects by use of the eyes; vision.
2. an act, fact, or instance of seeing.
3. one's range of vision on some specific occasion: Land is in sight.
4. a view; glimpse.
5. mental perception or regard; judgment.
6. something seen or worth seeing; spectacle: the sights of London.
7. Informal. something unusual, surprising, shocking, or distressing: They were a sight after the fight.
8. Commerce.
a. presentation of a bill of exchange: a draft payable at two months after sight.
b. a showing of goods, esp. gems, held periodically for wholesalers.
9. Older Use. a multitude; great deal: It's a sight better to work than to starve.
10. an observation taken with a surveying, navigating, or other instrument to ascertain an exact position or direction.
11. any of various mechanical or optical viewing devices, as on a firearm or surveying instrument, for aiding the eye in aiming.
12. Obsolete. skill; insight.
–verb (used with object)
13. to see, glimpse, notice, or observe: to sight a ship to the north.
14. to take a sight or observation of (a stake, coastline, etc.), esp. with surveying or navigating instruments.
15. to direct or aim by a sight or sights, as a firearm.
16. to provide with sights or adjust the sights of, as a gun.
–verb (used without object)
17. to aim or observe through a sight.
18. to look carefully in a certain direction.
—Idioms
19. at first sight, at the first glimpse; at once: It was love at first sight.
20. at sight,
a. immediately upon seeing, esp. without referring elsewhere for assurance, further information, etc.: to translate something at sight.
b. Commerce. on presentation: a draft payable at sight.
21. catch sight of, to get a glimpse of; espy: We caught sight of the lake below.
22. know by sight, to recognize (a person or thing) seen previously: I know him by sight, but I know nothing about him.
23. not by a long sight, Informal. definitely not: Is that all? Not by a long sight.
24. on or upon sight, immediately upon seeing: to shoot him on sight; to recognize someone on sight.
25. out of sight,
a. beyond one's range of vision.
b. Informal. beyond reason; exceedingly high: The price is out of sight.
c. Slang. (often used interjectionally) fantastic; marvelous: a ceremony so glamorous it was out of sight.
26. sight for sore eyes, someone or something whose appearance on the scene is cause for relief or gladness.
27. sight unseen, without previous examination: to buy something sight unseen.
Origin:
bef. 950; ME (n.); OE sihth (more often gesihth, gesiht; c. G Gesicht face; cf. y- ), deriv. of sēon to see 1 ; see -th 1

Related forms:
sight⋅a⋅ble, adjective
sighter, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To at sight
AT&T™ Official Site
Phone, Internet, & TV or Wireless for Under $100 /month with AT&T.
att.com
Word Origin & History

sight 
O.E. gesiht, gesihð "thing seen," from P.Gmc. *sekh(w)- (cf. Dan. sigte, Swed. sigt, M.Du. sicht, Du. zicht, O.H.G. siht, Ger. Sicht, Gesicht), stem of O.E. seon (see see). Meaning "perception or apprehension by means of the eyes" is from c.1225. Meaning "device on a firearm to assist in aiming" is from 1588; the verb in this sense is from 1842.
"Verily, truth is sight. Therefore if two people should come disputing, sayin
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: sight
Function: adjective
: payable on presentation —see also sight draft at DRAFT
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: sight
Pronunciation: 'sIt
Function: noun
1 : something that is seen
2 : the process, power, or function of seeing;specifically : the one of the five basic physical senses by which light stimuli received by the eye are interpreted by the brain in the construction of a representation of the position,shape, brightness, and usually color of objects in the real world
3 a : a perception of an object by the eye b : the range of vision
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

sight (sīt)
n.

  1. The ability to see.

  2. Field of vision.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Idioms & Phrases

at sight

  1. See on sight.

  2. On presentation, especially a draft for payment. For example, These bills are payable at sight. This usage replaced on sight in the late 1600s.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see at sight on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way