Meaning & use
sightseeing
Last updated
UK/ˈsaɪtˌsiː.ɪŋ/
US/ˈsaɪtˌsiː.ɪŋ/
Meaning
noununcountable
The activity of visiting interesting places, especially as a tourist.
Grammar: Uncountable; used mainly in the phrase go sightseeing, not as a verb by itself.
Patterns
- go sightseeing
- do some sightseeing
- a sightseeing trip
We spent the morning sightseeing in the old town.
Sightseeing is the main reason people visit this city.
After lunch, we went sightseeing along the river.
Common combinations
- go sightseeing
- Let's go sightseeing tomorrow.
- do some sightseeing
- We did some sightseeing before the meeting.
- sightseeing tour
- The sightseeing tour lasts two hours.
- sightseeing bus
- A sightseeing bus stops outside the hotel.
Synonyms and how they differ
- touring
- Touring suggests traveling through an area, often with a guide, while sightseeing focuses on visiting specific famous places.
- exploring
- Exploring means discovering places in a less organized way; sightseeing is usually more planned around well-known attractions.
Word family
- sightseer noun
- A person who goes sightseeing.
Commonly confused: sightseeing or sight-seeing?
sightseeing vs sight-seeing
The hyphenated form is less common; the standard spelling is one word.
Practice
We spent the afternoon ______ in the historic center.
Choose one answer.
The phrase is go sightseeing, so the -ing form fits after 'spent the afternoon'. 'Sightsee' is not used as a verb in this pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sightseeing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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