alighted

variants also alit
past tense of alight
1
as in perched
to come to rest after descending from the air a flock of eight swans circled above, then alighted on the pond

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2
as in dismounted
to come down from something (as a vehicle) as she alighted from the train, she momentarily lost her footing

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of alighted According to the latest available rail passenger statistics, a grand total of 76 people have alighted or boarded at Shippea Hill in the previous 12 months. Rob Crossan, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 July 2026 Most alighted in specially erected tent tunnels and, to the disappointment of the crowds of Swifties waiting in the 40°C heat, there were no sightings of the happy couple. The Week Uk, TheWeek, 11 July 2026 Its blockbuster Art Deco-at-100 show wrapped its run last month and attracted more than 500,000 visitors, while its Iris Van Herpen retrospective recently alighted at the Brooklyn Museum, further elaborating on centuries of Franco-American friendship and cultural exchange. Miles Socha, Footwear News, 26 May 2026 Four alighted on a paper towel dispenser. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026 Then, while Louise was peering through the letterbox, our mother alighted from the back of a black cab. Douglas Stuart, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2026 In Frida Kahlo’s self-portrait from 1940, two gossamer lepidoptera have alighted on her head. Heller McAlpin, Christian Science Monitor, 12 Dec. 2025 The Super Beetle, called the 1301, alighted in 1971 with a 60 hp, 1,585 cc engine. Robert Ross, Robb Report, 12 Sep. 2025 In the wake of such revelations, Jones needed to free his Temple from the threat of government interference and alighted upon Guyana as a new home. Sarah Rex, JSTOR Daily, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alighted
Verb
  • Residents will encounter him perched on the air conditioner just outside their apartment, staring in.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Figures depicting the Pink Panther, Spider Man and the Minions have perched or crawled atop the Dome.
    Mandalit del Barco, NPR, 31 July 2026
Verb
  • Meanwhile, the owner of the carriage involved in the fatal crash suspended the driver indefinitely and plans to retire the horse, according to union officials, who said the driver improperly dismounted to take a photograph of his passengers.
    Barry Williams, New York Daily News, 25 July 2026
  • Their father dismounted, went down on foot, climbed the fence his son had crawled under.
    Emily Ruskovich, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026
Verb
  • Penta hit a Mexican Destroyer on Chad Gable and the two landed awkwardly.
    Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026
  • As the sport continues to process Skubal joining the Dodgers in a late Saturday trade, reactions from rival executives have landed somewhere between resignation and frustration.
    Andy McCullough, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Two days earlier, Delhi police officers had descended on Jantar Mantar, the eighteenth-century astronomical observatory and frequent site of protests in the nation’s capital, where Wangchuk had been on an indefinite hunger strike since June 28.
    Jonathan Mingle, The New York Review of Books, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Parking is banned on Guthrie’s stretch of Camino Escalante, a restriction that was sparked by media that descended on her quiet neighborhood in February and March.
    Stephanie Murray, USA Today, 1 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • All were due to be disembarked at the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer, in northern France, for medical assessment and assistance.
    ABC News, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Travelers continuing to Arequipa, Peru’s second-largest city, remained on board, while others disembarked at the Km.
    Susmita Baral, Travel + Leisure, 17 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Alighted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alighted. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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