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
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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
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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
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Simply place your swing near a feeder or nectar-rich flowering plant to create the ideal perching spot for hummingbirds to rest and keep watch over their food source.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 June 2026
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For the meantime, drones cannot match birds in agility, endurance, co-ordination or perching.—
David Hambling,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Verb
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But there was something regal about a president descending those steps, or waving from the top of them, on foreign soil.—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
12 June 2026
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Ingredients are listed in descending order, meaning the first few ingredients make up the largest share of the food.—
Amy Brownstein,
Verywell Health,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
The newsroom is soldiering on, landing scoops, asking questions, doing the work.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
8 June 2026
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The son of Luc Mettler, who owned an influential Parisian music shop, Mettler relocated to New York in the early 1990s, landing a job as assistant at Back Pocket recording studio.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
8 June 2026
Verb
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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
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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
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Those who arrive by boat are permitted to stay for one hour only on the dunes, and disembarking with rucksacks or cool bags will not be allowed.—
Christopher Edwards,
PEOPLE,
11 June 2026
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Searchers were seen disembarking the small Coast Guard boat and carefully wading in the shallow waters offshore.—
Rebekah Riess,
CNN Money,
6 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Alighting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alighting. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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