as in spotting
to make note of (something) through the use of one's eyes
the crew felt a rush of excitement upon hearing that the lookout had sighted land
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sighting
In addition to the occasional energy vortex, Sedona is said to be a UFO sighting hot spot.
—
Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 4 Feb. 2026
The equipment allowed the researchers to pinpoint the area emitting the ginkgo-toothed beaked whale's unique call without first sighting the animals, which are among the deepest-diving mammals in the world.
—Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 21 Nov. 2025
Parks closed, troops deployed for bears In Sapporo City, authorities closed Maruyama Park for two weeks following a bear sighting there.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 14 Nov. 2025
His call to the Coast Guard upon sighting Humphrey resulted in a comical conversation.
—Helen Harlan, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2025
One of the six runways at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport was closed for about 45 minutes early Saturday afternoon after reports of a drone sighting around noon (1000 GMT), military police spokesman Doron Wallin told The Associated Press.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 27 Sep. 2025
Pasquatch sighting in Cleveland!
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 12 Sep. 2025
From locations that are plagued by light pollution, sighting this comet may prove to be rather difficult.
—Joe Rao, Space.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Before the new regulations, says Annie Inglis, Marine Biology Presenter with Quark, the expedition crew would be hurrying to get guests in Zodiacs to try to get closer to a bear sighting like this.
—Cassidy Randall, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 4 Feb. 2026
The equipment allowed the researchers to pinpoint the area emitting the ginkgo-toothed beaked whale's unique call without first sighting the animals, which are among the deepest-diving mammals in the world.
—Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 21 Nov. 2025
Parks closed, troops deployed for bears In Sapporo City, authorities closed Maruyama Park for two weeks following a bear sighting there.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 14 Nov. 2025
His call to the Coast Guard upon sighting Humphrey resulted in a comical conversation.
—Helen Harlan, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2025
One of the six runways at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport was closed for about 45 minutes early Saturday afternoon after reports of a drone sighting around noon (1000 GMT), military police spokesman Doron Wallin told The Associated Press.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 27 Sep. 2025
Pasquatch sighting in Cleveland!
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 12 Sep. 2025
From locations that are plagued by light pollution, sighting this comet may prove to be rather difficult.
—Joe Rao, Space.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Before the new regulations, says Annie Inglis, Marine Biology Presenter with Quark, the expedition crew would be hurrying to get guests in Zodiacs to try to get closer to a bear sighting like this.
—Cassidy Randall, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sighting
Verb
-
The way out of this bind is going to require all of us to get better at spotting the output of AI, and to continue shaming those who get caught red keyboarded.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Police then lost sight of the vehicle before spotting it being driven west on Campbell Avenue, where the driver abruptly stopped in front of a bar, according to Allard.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Writers Raoul Groothuizen and Christina Poppe came up with the idea back in 2018, after noticing a sharp rise in racist rhetoric among the Flemish far-right.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Scientists had long assumed most of the moon lay beyond the protection of Earth’s magnetic field, but in 2019 scientists began noticing something odd about the experiment’s data that suggested the moon was somewhat protected from galactic cosmic rays.—
K. R. Callaway,
Scientific American,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Whizzing by the moon up to 6,000 miles above the surface, the astronauts will also glimpse the celestial body's full disk, seeing sights that not even the Apollo astronauts witnessed.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Being embedded meant slowing down, listening, and understanding the genealogy of the triennial itself—seeing HT25 not as a rupture, but as part of an ongoing continuum.—
Wassan Al-Khudhairi,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The helpful trine between the Moon in your private 12th house and Jupiter in your cautious 8th house offers astrological support regarding tender topics.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Prior to Saturday’s apology, Auriemma had expressed frustration over the officiating, specifically regarding a play where Sarah Strong’s jersey was ripped.—
Jacob Lev,
CNN Money,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sighting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sighting. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
