1
as in perching
to come to rest after descending from the air
a flock of eight swans circled above, then alighted on the pond
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in descending
to come down from something (as a vehicle)
as she alighted from the train, she momentarily lost her footing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 alighting
After alighting in a New York City subway station last year, Matthieu Blazy will be unveiling his next Métiers d’Art collection in Rome, Chanel said Friday.
—
Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 8 May 2026
Just as the sun prepared to sink beyond the escarpments, its rays struck every piece of the fractured glass resting on top of the window frames, alighting all of them at once, as if they were shot with electricity.
—New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Images showed Kim in a black jacket, alighting a mobile missile launcher near the main stage as thousands of people waved small North Korean flags.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 19 Feb. 2026
Over the course of extended scenes, the eye roams the frame, alighting on the pop of natural and manmade details alike.
—Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 17 Feb. 2026
The colors are richly saturated, and when something catches Ryan’s eye—say, a bee alighting on a wildflower—the images shimmer with an almost radioactive intensity.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
Say each word was a bird—alighting briefly, out of reach and then gone again.
—Leila Chatti
september 5, Literary Hub, 5 Sep. 2025
The second was to build what amounts to a nonflammable moat around a home to prevent embers from alighting on anything next to a house that could burn and ignite the structure.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 12 Aug. 2025
Sound of Falling skips back and forth through time, alighting on moments of both horror and grace across a century in the lives of four women—adolescent and adult—inhabiting the same unsettled spaces.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2025
Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 8 May 2026
Just as the sun prepared to sink beyond the escarpments, its rays struck every piece of the fractured glass resting on top of the window frames, alighting all of them at once, as if they were shot with electricity.
—New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Images showed Kim in a black jacket, alighting a mobile missile launcher near the main stage as thousands of people waved small North Korean flags.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 19 Feb. 2026
Over the course of extended scenes, the eye roams the frame, alighting on the pop of natural and manmade details alike.
—Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 17 Feb. 2026
The colors are richly saturated, and when something catches Ryan’s eye—say, a bee alighting on a wildflower—the images shimmer with an almost radioactive intensity.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
Say each word was a bird—alighting briefly, out of reach and then gone again.
—Leila Chatti
september 5, Literary Hub, 5 Sep. 2025
The second was to build what amounts to a nonflammable moat around a home to prevent embers from alighting on anything next to a house that could burn and ignite the structure.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 12 Aug. 2025
Sound of Falling skips back and forth through time, alighting on moments of both horror and grace across a century in the lives of four women—adolescent and adult—inhabiting the same unsettled spaces.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alighting
Verb
-
The bird, which appears unharmed, matches the description of a starling, a medium-sized perching bird with over 100 species.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
4 May 2026
-
Another member of pop’s new generation, Addison Rae, was on hand to hype up the crowd while perching on the edge of the DJ booth.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The steeply descending main street of Haworth is filled with tea shops, pubs and stores clearly dedicated to pleasing Brontë pilgrims, but its basic form, including the original stationery store where the sisters once bought their paper, remains the same.—
Culture Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
-
Case in point is the Haryma necklace, where yellow and orange diamonds come to play with garnets and white diamonds to create a shading effect on the necklace and figurative tiger descending a staircase arrangement supported by five imperial topazes, totaling just over 28 carats.—
Lily Templeton,
Footwear News,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
According to this order, the space agency’s priorities should include landing people on the moon by 2028 and starting a permanent lunar outpost by 2030.—
Dan Vergano,
Scientific American,
11 May 2026
-
The Knicks didn’t become a conference finalist by landing one savior at the top of the draft.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
The popular halftime performer known as Red Panda finished her signature seven-minute set, looked up at a crowd of fans chanting her name and flashed a smile before dismounting.—
Alanis Thames,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The woman told investigators Herzing had made similar threats in July, which resulted in the victim suffering minor scrapes after dismounting at a stoplight.—
Lauren Breunig,
Twin Cities,
2 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The ban on disembarking passengers is temporary and pending the outcome of medical tests, officials said.—
Makini Brice,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
-
Two died on board and one died after disembarking and at a hospital in South Africa.—
Erika Edwards,
NBC news,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Alighting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alighting. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
