alighted

variants also alit
Definition of alightednext
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 Drowsy honeymooners; now and again a group of Tahitian wildlife experts, alighted on the atoll to examine a particularly impressive giant clam. Antonia Quirke, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026 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
  • Built by Lockheed Martin, the Orion vehicle will be perched atop NASA's 322-foot Space Launch System rocket, built by Boeing and Northrop Grumman.
    Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
  • Once upon a time, a kids spa treatment meant glitter nail polish, a side braid and maybe a cucumber slice perched optimistically on a 9-year-old’s forehead.
    Kathryn Romeyn, HollywoodReporter, 24 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Stopping, the man dismounted and shot that big bear square in the chest.
    Scott Haugen, Outdoor Life, 4 Feb. 2026
  • This enables wide distribution across the front lines, especially in areas where soldiers are primarily dismounted.
    Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The vehicle flipped and landed upside down in the ravine below.
    Christa Swanson, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
  • Evidently, the conversation landed.
    Colin Cerniglia, Charlotte Observer, 22 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Nancy Guthrie More than six weeks after Nancy Guthrie disappeared, the intense media and law enforcement presence that descended on her affluent Arizona neighborhood has mostly dissipated.
    Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 19 Mar. 2026
  • After the game ended with the Lakers stunning overtime victory, fans lined up to give him high-fives and cheer for him as his family descended a stairway.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The Trojans, in good spirits after Meade’s pep talk, disembarked and filed into the 24-year-old stadium tucked neatly between Memorial Gymnasium and FirstBank Stadium on the western edge of Vanderbilt’s urban campus.
    Mitch Light, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
  • Victor Rillet, a 21-year-old Frenchman, disembarked the steamship Washington in New York in October 1864, carrying the kind of optimism that fuels both great innovation and spectacular disappointment.
    The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Alighted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alighted. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.

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