sight

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. The ability to see.
2. n. The act or fact of seeing: hoping for a sight of land; caught sight of a rare bird.
3. n. Field of vision.
4. n. The foreseeable future; prospect: no solution in sight.
5. n. Mental perception or consideration: We lost sight of the purpose of our visit.
6. n. Something seen; a view.
7. n. Something worth seeing; a spectacle: the sights of London.
8. n. Informal Something unsightly: Your hair is a sight.
9. n. A device used to assist aim by guiding the eye, as on a firearm or surveying instrument.
10. n. An aim or observation taken with such a device.
11. n. An opportunity to observe or inspect.
12. n. Upper Southern U.S. A large number or quantity: A sight of people were there.
13. v. To perceive with the eyes; get sight of: sighted land after 40 days at sea.
14. v. To observe through a sight or an optical instrument: sight a target.
15. v. To adjust the sights of (a rifle, for example).
16. v. To take aim with (a firearm).
17. v. To direct one's gaze; look carefully.
18. v. To take aim: sighted along the barrel of the gun.
19. idiom. on sight Immediately upon being seen: threatened to shoot looters on sight.
20. idiom. out of sight Slang Remarkable; incredible: The graduation party was out of sight.
21. idiom. sight for sore eyes Informal One whom it is a relief or joy to see.
22. idiom. sight unseen Without seeing the object in question: bought the horse sight unseen.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. The power of seeing; the faculty of vision; ability to perceive objects by means of the eyes: commonly reckoned the first of the five senses. Extent of the power of seeing is expressed by the phrases long or (better) far sight, and short or (better) near sight (in physiology, technically, hypermetropic or presbyopic vision and myopic vision, respectively). Formerly, but not now, used in the plural with reference to more than one subject.
2. n. A seeing or looking; a vision or view; visual perception or inspection: with or without an article: as, to get a sight, or catch or lose sight, of an object; at first sight; a cheerful sight; to get out of one's sight.
3. n. Scope of vision; limit of visual perception; seeing-distance; range of the eyes; open view: as, to put something out of sight.
4. n. Gaze; look; view; visual attention or regard: as, to fix one's sight upon a distant landmark.
5. n. Hence Mental regard or consideration; estimation; judgment; way of looking upon or thinking about a subject; point of view.
6. n. The state of being seen; visual presence; a coming into view or within the range of vision: as, to know a person by or at sight; to honor a draft on sight.
7. n. An insight; an opportunity for seeing or studying, as something to be learned.
8. n. Hence An opportunity for doing something; an opening; a chance; a “show”: as, he has no sight against his opponent.
9. n. Look; aspect; manner of appearing.
10. n. Something seen or to be seen; a spectacle; a show; used absolutely, a striking spectacle; a gazing-stock; something adapted to attract the eyes or fix attention: as, the sights of a town; he was a sight to behold.
11. n. Hence A number or quantity wonderful to see or contemplate; a surprising multitude or multiplicity presented to view or attention; a great many, or a great deal: as, what a sight of people! it must have taken a sight of work (to accomplish something).
12. n. An aid to seeing. Specifically
13. n. An aperture through which to look; in old armor, a perforation for the eye through the helmet; now. especially, a small piece (generally one of two pieces in line) with an aperture, either vacant (plain) or containing a lens (telescopic), on a surveying or other instrument, for aid in bringing an object observed into exact line with the point of observation: as, the sights of a quadrant or a compass.
14. n. A device for directing the aim of a firearm, the most common sort being a metal pin set on top of the barrel near the muzzle. There are often two, one near the muzzle and the other at. the breech, the latter having a notch or hole through which the former is seen when the gun is pointed: in this case they are called fore-sight or front sight, and hind-sight or breech-sight Firearms intended for long range are fitted with sights marked for different elevations, or adjustable, by the use of which the aim can be taken for distances of several hundred yards. See bead-sight, peep-sight, and cuts under revolver and gunnery
15. n. An aim or an observation taken by looking along the course of a gun or an instrument; in gunnery, specifically, the leveling or aiming of a gun by the aid of its sights; nautical, an instrumental observation of the sun or other heavenly body for determining the position of a vessel; in surveying, the fixing, by sight with an instrument, of the relative position of an object for the purpose of alinement. Coarse sight, in shooting, implies an aim taken by exposing a large part of the front sight to the eye in covering the object; fine sight implies a careful aim taken by exposing only the summit of the front sight. See bead, n., 4.
16. n. Hence A straight stretch of road, as one along which a sight may be taken in surveying: a line uninterrupted by a bend or an elevation: as, go on three sights, and stop at the first house. Also called look.
17. n. In picture-framing, that part of a picture of any kind which is exposed to view within the edge of a frame or mat; the whole of the space within the frame.
18. n. In com., on presentation.
19. n. Within view or seeing distance; in a position permitting sight or observation: with of: as, to be in sight of land.
20. n. Within the range of observation or knowledge; known from inspection, search, or inquiry; that can be calculated upon as existing or available: as, the ore in sight in a mine; the amount of grain in sight for market.
21. n. In estimation or consideration; as seen or judged; according to mental perception; with a possessive pronoun: as. to do what is light in one's own sight.
22. n. Beyond all comparison; to or in a transcendent degree; in an unrivaled manner: as, to beat an opponent out of sight, as in a game or an election.
23. n. To overlook; omit to take into calculation: as, you lose sight of my last argument.
24. n. To consume.
25. To come in sight or get sight of; bring into view, especially into one's own view, as by approach or by search; make visible to one's self: as, to sight land; to sight game.
26. To take a sight of; make an observation of, especially with an instrument: as, to sight a star.
27. In com., to present to sight; bring under notice: as, to sight a bill (that is, to present it to the drawee for acceptance).
28. To direct upon the objeet aimed at by means of a sight or sights, as a firearm.
29. To provide with sights, or adjust the sights of, as a gun or an instrument.
30. A Middle English preterit of sigh.
31. n. In cards, a show of the opponent's hand. In poker, when a player has not enough money to call a bet, he may demand a sight for what he has, but if he has borrowed to raise he must borrow to call.

Wiktionary

1. n. The ability to see.
2. n. Something seen.
3. n. Something worth seeing.
4. n. A device used in aiming a projectile, through which the person aiming looks at the intended target.
5. n. a great deal, a lot; frequently used to intensify a comparative.
6. v. transitive To visually register.
7. v. transitive To get sight of (something).
8. v. transitive To take aim at.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. The act of seeing; perception of objects by the eye; view.
2. n. The power of seeing; the faculty of vision, or of perceiving objects by the instrumentality of the eyes.
3. n. 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.
4. n. A spectacle; a view; a show; something worth seeing.
5. n. The instrument of seeing; the eye.
6. n. Inspection; examination.
7. n. Mental view; opinion; judgment.
8. n. A small aperture or optical device through which objects are to be seen, and by which their direction is settled or ascertained; -- used on surveying instruments.
9. n. An optical device or 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. A telescope mounted on a weapon, such as a rifle, and used for accurate aiming at distant targets is called a telescopic sight.
10. n. 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. n. Now colloquial A great number, quantity, or sum.
12. v. To get sight of; to see
13. v. To look at through a sight; to see accurately.
14. v. To apply sights to; to adjust the sights of; also, to give the proper elevation and direction to by means of a sight.
15. v. (Mil.) To take aim by a sight.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. take aim by looking through the sights of a gun (or other device)
2. n. a range of mental vision
3. n. the ability to see; the visual faculty
4. n. an instance of visual perception
5. v. catch sight of; to perceive with the eyes
6. n. (often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent
7. n. the act of looking or seeing or observing
8. n. the range of vision
9. n. anything that is seen