site

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: the spatial location of an actual or planned structure or set of structures (such as a building, town, or monuments)
b
: a space of ground occupied or to be occupied by a building
2
a
: the place, scene, or point of an occurrence or event
a picnic site
b
: one or more Internet addresses at which an individual or organization provides information to others
an FTP site
especially : website

site

2 of 2

verb

sited; siting

transitive verb

: to place on a site or in position : locate

Did you know?

Cite, Sight, and Site

As homophones—words that sound alike but are distinct— cite, sight, and site are easily confused, but they have different meanings, uses, and origins.

Cite is most often encountered in the sense of "to name in a citation"—that is, a line or short section taken from a piece of writing or a speech; it may also mean "to mention as an example" or "to order to appear in a court of law." Cite is from the Latin citare, "to rouse, call on, summon," source too of citation and recite.

Most of the senses of sight are concerned with seeing. A wonderful spectacle might be described as a sight, as might the general capacity to see anything ("my sight is not as good as it once was"). Sight is also used in a number of fixed phrases, such as "out of sight, out of mind," "sight unseen," and "set one's sights on." Sight comes from Old English gesiht, meaning "the faculty or act of sight, thing seen."

Site is most often concerned with location; it is related to situate, "to locate," and situation, "relative position or combination of circumstances at a particular moment." A building site is the place where a building is, or will be, located. In contemporary English, site is frequently used as a shortened form of website, to refer to the location of a group of web pages. Site comes from Latin situs, meaning "place, position, site."

Associating citation with cite, eyesight with sight, and situate with site may be helpful in applying these correctly.

Examples of site in a Sentence

Noun Hard hats must be worn on the construction site. They visited the site of their future house. The company has chosen a new site for its office building. the site of the battle Federal investigators combed through the crash site.
Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
Representative Jim Himes, a Democrat among the Gang of Eight leaders within Congress who are briefed on classified intelligence matters, told MSNBC that satellite imagery showed trucks backing up from Iranian nuclear sites. Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025 Following a comprehensive review and evaluation period, the program grew, expanding to 41 sites over the last 10 years. Asha Bandele, Essence, 25 June 2025 That youthful energy was apparent Tuesday evening, as both cautiously optimistic canvassers and ecstatic supporters lined the streets of central Brooklyn, creating a party-like atmosphere that spread from poll sites into the surrounding neighborhoods. Anthony Izaguirre The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 25 June 2025 While Warp has a network of 50 cross-docks and more than 10,000 vehicles, this marks the first robot-native site for the company. Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 25 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for site

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, place, position, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French sit, site, from Latin situs, from sinere to leave, allow

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of site was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Site.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/site. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

site

noun
ˈsīt
1
: local position (as of a building, town, or monument)
2
: the place or scene of an occurrence or event
a picnic site
3

Medical Definition

site

noun
: the place, scene, or point of something
the site of inflammation
see active site

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