sight

/saɪt/ (bre, ipa) · [sˈaɪt] /saɪt/ (ame, ipa) · [sˈaɪt] /ˈsīt/ (ame, mw)

sight — 名詞

  • sightsingular
  • sightsplural

1. the physical power to detect light and shapes through your eyes, letting you kno

1.名詞B1
釋義

視力

眼睛看見物體的能力

the physical power to detect light and shapes through your eyes, letting you know what is around you.

例句

Olivia's sight began to weaken after years of reading small print at work.

Olivia 的視力在多年閱讀細小字體的工作後開始減弱。

possessive 's sight + collocation: sight weakens

The doctor said the surgery could restore some of the sight in his left eye.

醫生說手術可以恢復他左眼的部分視力。

restore sight; in [body part] eye

同義詞
  • vision

    more formal than sight; often used in medical or technical contexts

  • eyesight

    the everyday word for the quality of one's ability to see

  • perception

    broader — includes interpretation by the brain, not just the physical act

反義詞

用法筆記

Uncountable — do not say 'a sight' when referring to the ability itself. 'A sight' belongs to sense 2.

常見錯誤

❌My eye sight is very good.
✅My eyesight is very good.' or 'My sight is very good.
💡'eyesight' is the standard compound; 'sight' alone is still correct but slightly more formal.
❌He has a good sight.
✅He has good sight.
💡no article when referring to the ability uncountably.

2. a person, thing, or scene that you can see with your eyes, or the distance over

2.名詞B2
釋義

景象

眼睛所看見的人、事物或景色

a person, thing, or scene that you can see with your eyes, or the distance over which things are visible.

例句

From the top of the hill, the whole valley was a breathtaking sight.

從山頂望去，整個山谷的景色美不勝收。

countable: a [adjective] sight

The ship slowly disappeared from sight as it sailed toward the horizon.

那艘船緩緩駛向地平線，逐漸從視線中消失。

collocation: from sight / out of sight

同義詞
  • view

    what can be seen from a particular place; sight emphasises the thing itself, view emphasises the scene

  • scene

    a place or setting that you see, often in nature or daily life

  • spectacle

    a dramatic or impressive sight, often for an audience

用法筆記

Common in fixed prepositional phrases: 'in sight' (visible), 'out of sight' (not visible), 'within sight of' (close enough to see). When uncountable, refers to the range of vision rather than a specific thing seen.

常見錯誤

❌The bird flew out of my sight.
✅The bird flew out of sight.
💡the possessive is unnatural here; the fixed phrase drops the possessor.

3. the experience of seeing someone or something, especially upon an initial encoun

3.名詞B2
釋義

看見

看到某人或某物的那一刻

the experience of seeing someone or something, especially upon an initial encounter or after an extended search.

例句

Their first sight of the ocean filled the children with excitement.

孩子們第一次看見大海時，興奮不已。

possessive + first sight of [something]

The rescue team cheered at the sight of the missing climbers alive and well.

救援隊看到失蹤的登山者安然無恙時，歡呼了起來。

at the sight of [someone/something]

同義詞
  • glimpse

    a very brief or partial sight of something

  • view

    the act of looking; slightly more deliberate than sight

  • look

    the most common everyday word for the act of directing your eyes

用法筆記

Often appears in the structures 'at the sight of' (as a reaction to seeing) and 'at first sight' (upon the first moment of seeing). Distinguish from sense 1: this is about the event of seeing, not the physical ability.

常見錯誤

❌I hate the sight of her.' (ambiguous between 'I dislike seeing her' and 'I hate her appearance')
✅I hate seeing her.
💡the 'sight of' phrasing can be misinterpreted as sense 2.

4. well-known places, buildings, or natural features that people travel to see, esp

4.名詞B1
釋義

名勝

值得參觀的景點或建築

well-known places, buildings, or natural features that people travel to see, especially in a city or region.

例句

The tour guide showed us all the famous sights of Kyoto in one afternoon.

導遊在一個下午就帶我們看遍了京都所有著名的名勝。

the sights of [city/place]

Mauricio spent his first day in Paris visiting the sights around Montmartre.

Mauricio 在巴黎的第一天花了很多時間參觀蒙馬特附近的景點。

同義詞
  • attractions

    broader — includes rides, shows, shops; sights are specifically visual landmarks

  • landmarks

    famous buildings or structures that are easy to recognise; a subset of sights

  • points of interest

    a formal or written alternative used in maps and guides

用法筆記

Almost always plural when referring to tourist attractions (see the sights of Rome). The singular is possible but rare — 'a sight' in this sense usually falls under sense 2 instead.

常見錯誤

❌We saw all the sight in London.
✅We saw all the sights in London.
💡always plural when referring to multiple attractions.
❌We visited the seeings.
✅We visited the sights.
💡'seeings' is not a word.

5. without having looked at or examined something before deciding about it — typica

5.名詞B2
釋義

未看現貨

未事先查看即購買

without having looked at or examined something before deciding about it — typically used in the fixed phrase 'sight unseen' for purchases or agreements.

例句

Darius bought the old farmhouse sight unseen, relying only on photographs he saw online.

Darius 僅憑網上看到的照片，未看現貨就買下了那間老農舍。

buy something sight unseen

Christopher rented a flat in Taipei sight unseen and found that the kitchen had no windows at all.

Christopher 在未看現貨的情況下租了台北的一間公寓，結果發現廚房完全沒有窗戶。

同義詞
  • unseen

    similar meaning but used as an adjective before the noun, e.g. 'an unseen purchase'

  • blind

    as in 'blind buy' or 'blind bid' — informal, common in fandom and auctions

反義詞
  • in person

    with the chance to see and examine before buying

用法筆記

Functions as an adverbial phrase, always in the fixed form 'sight unseen'. Never used with articles or possessives (not 'a sight unseen' or 'my sight unseen').

常見錯誤

❌I bought it without sight.
✅I bought it sight unseen.
💡the fixed phrase is 'sight unseen', not a synonym.
❌I bought it sight-unseen.
✅I bought it sight unseen.
💡typically written as two separate words without a hyphen.

6. a large amount or degree of something, used in the phrase 'a sight' to emphasise

6.名詞B1
釋義

大量

用於比較級前，強調程度

a large amount or degree of something, used in the phrase 'a sight' to emphasise a difference or quantity.

例句

This new sofa is a sight more comfortable than the old one we had.

這張新沙發比我們之前那張舒服得多。

a sight + comparative adjective

Gabriel's car repairs cost a sight more money than he expected after the accident.

Gabriel 的車禍修車費比他所預期的還要高出許多。

同義詞
  • a lot

    the neutral, all-purpose intensifier; less informal than 'a sight'

  • far

    works before comparatives; standard register

  • much

    standard register; common in both speech and writing

用法筆記

Informal or dialectal. Used before a comparative adjective ('a sight better', 'a sight more'). In standard writing, 'a lot' or 'far' is preferred. Common in British and Irish English speech.

常見錯誤

❌It is a sight good.
✅It is a sight better.
💡'a sight' only works before comparatives, not before positive adjectives.

7. a raised fitting atop a firearm or similar implement that you align with your ey

7.名詞B2
釋義

瞄準器

槍枝或武器上的瞄準裝置

a raised fitting atop a firearm or similar implement that you align with your eye to direct a shot at a chosen point.

例句

Liang lined up the front and rear sights of his rifle before pulling the trigger at the shooting range.

Liang 在射擊場對齊了步槍的前後瞄準器，然後才扣下扳機。

front sight / rear sight — common modifier pair

The rifle's sights need adjusting after being knocked during the hike.

步槍的瞄準器在健行途中被撞到後需要重新調整。

possessive: [object]'s sights

同義詞
  • scope

    a telescope-like sight that magnifies the target; not the same as open sights

  • aiming device

    the general technical term covering all types

用法筆記

Usually plural (sights) even when referring to the set on one weapon. Can refer to optical devices on crossbows, telescopes, and cameras as well as guns.

常見錯誤

❌The gun has one sight.
✅The gun has sights.
💡the front and rear are treated as a set even if the design uses a single piece.

sight — 動詞