Meaning & use
site
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Meanings
nouncountable
A place where something is, happens, or will be built.
Grammar: Countable noun; often used with 'on' or 'at': 'on site', 'at the site'.
Patterns
- a site for something
- on site
- at the site
The new hospital will be built on this site.
This is the site of the ancient battle.
Workers are already on site.
nouncountableinformal
A website; a place on the internet with pages of information.
Grammar: Countable noun; short for 'website'. Informal in this sense.
Patterns
- on a site
- visit a site
- a social media site
I found the recipe on a cooking site.
She spends hours on social media sites.
The company's site has a lot of useful information.
verbtransitive
To place or position something in a particular location, especially formally.
Grammar: Takes an object: 'site the building near the river'. Often used in passive: 'The school is sited next to the park.'
Patterns
- site something somewhere
- be sited in/on/near something
They decided to site the new library near the town center.
The factory is sited close to the motorway.
The campsite was sited on a flat area.
Word forms
| plural | sites |
|---|---|
| third person singular | sites |
| past tense | sited |
| past participle | sited |
| -ing form | siting |
Common combinations
- on site
- The engineers are on site to check the progress.
- construction site
- Always wear a helmet on a construction site.
- web site
- The web site was updated with new photos.
- site visit
- We have a site visit scheduled for next week.
- site of something
- This is the site of the old castle.
Synonyms and how they differ
- location
- More general; a location can be anywhere, while a site is often a specific place for a building or event.
- place
- Very general; 'site' is more formal and often used in official or technical contexts.
- spot
- Informal; a spot is a particular point or area, while a site is usually larger or more official.
Word family
Commonly confused: site or sight? site or cite?
site vs sight
A 'sight' is something you see or the ability to see; a 'site' is a place. 'The sight of the site was impressive' uses both correctly.
site vs cite
To 'cite' means to mention as an example or quote; 'site' is a place or to place something.
Practice
The company plans to ___ its new headquarters near the airport.
Choose one answer.
'Site' as a verb means to place or position something in a particular location. 'Sight' means to see, 'cite' means to quote, and 'sit' means to be seated; none fit the meaning of placing a building.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “site”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.