A sighting is when you see something, especially something unusual, rare, or hard to spot. When hikers report a sighting of a bear in the woods, they're saying they saw one. Bird watchers get excited about sightings of rare species, carefully recording each one in their notebooks.

The word often applies to things people actively look for or things that don't appear every day. Astronomers announce sightings of comets. Sailors once kept watch for sightings of land after weeks at sea. During a game of hide-and-seek, that first sighting of someone's shoe peeking out from behind the couch means you've found them.

People also use sighting for things whose existence is debated or mysterious. Reports of Bigfoot sightings or UFO sightings describe moments when someone claims to have seen these controversial creatures or objects, whether or not others believe them.

The word suggests actually seeing something with your own eyes, not just hearing about it or imagining it. When you finally spot that red cardinal you've been waiting to see all winter, that's a sighting worth celebrating.