English Meaning & Definitions
No longer visible; hidden from view.
- “The ship sailed until it was completely out of sight.”
- “Keep your valuables out of sight when you are walking in a crowded area.”
Informal: excellent, wonderful, or extraordinary.
- “That new jazz band we saw last night was absolutely out of sight!”
- “She wore an out of sight dress that turned heads at the party.”
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “out of sight”.
The phrase originates from Middle English, combining the preposition 'out' (meaning outside or beyond) with 'sight' (from Old English 'sihth', meaning vision or the act of seeing). It has been used since the 14th century to denote something that has passed beyond the range of one's vision. The colloquial sense of 'excellent' or 'extraordinary' emerged in 20th-century American slang, particularly within jazz and counterculture movements of the 1940s and 50s, implying something so good it is 'beyond' normal perception.
Think of a magician's trick: when the rabbit goes 'out of sight' into the hat, it's gone from view.
Frequently Asked Questions About “out of sight”
1. What is the meaning of “out of sight” in English?
In English, out of sight (adverb) is defined as: “No longer visible; hidden from view.”.
2. How do you use “out of sight” in a sentence?
“The ship sailed until it was completely out of sight.”
3. What are English synonyms of “out of sight”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “out of sight”?
The phrase originates from Middle English, combining the preposition 'out' (meaning outside or beyond) with 'sight' (from Old English 'sihth', meaning vision or the act of seeing). It has been used since the 14th century to denote something that has passed beyond the range of one's vision. The colloquial sense of 'excellent' or 'extraordinary' emerged in 20th-century American slang, particularly within jazz and counterculture movements of the 1940s and 50s, implying something so good it is 'beyond' normal perception.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
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A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.