alights

present tense third-person singular of alight
1
as in perches
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 descends
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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for alights
Verb
  • The Ringed Kingfisher perches up to 30 feet above the surface, watching for medium-size fish and then plunging in headfirst with a mighty splash.
    Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
  • And frequent appearances by a pigeon that perches on her windowsill like a Greek chorus, mocking her self-abasement and growing detachment from reality, seem a tad heavy-handed.
    Book Marks August 28, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Slide Away then descends on Los Angeles’ Hollywood Palladium on May 29 and 30 with Cryogeyser, Mint Field, Ovlov, Seko, and Terraplana rounding out the lineup.
    Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 29 Sep. 2025
  • The slow ascent lasts about half a mile before the trail descends down a hillside.
    Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Instead of needing a runway, the vehicle lands under parachutes.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2025
  • For an artist who now owns her entire catalog, the track lands like a victory lap disguised as a reckoning.
    Bryan West, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Alights.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alights. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.

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