To lower your sights is to expect less from a given situation.

• I was keen on moving to a bigger sea-facing apartment, but I had to lower my sights when my boss refused to give me a raise.

• Now that companies are not very keen on hiring, many fresh graduates have started to lower their sights.

• Until a few years ago, an MBA was the most coveted qualification in the world. However, in these troubled job markets even MBAs have to lower their sights.

• My daughter was keen on pursuing her higher studies in the US. She, however, had to lower her sights when she failed to get good marks in the standardized tests.

Other expressions using the word sight

To lose one’s sight is to become blind.

• She sustained major head injuries in the accident and lost her sight.

To have long sight is to be able to see things well only at long range. Short sight is the opposite of long sight.

Lose sight of

When you lose sight of something, you no longer see it or you fail to keep that in mind.

• You must not lose sight of your long term career goals.

The expression a sight is used to refer to a person or thing that excites ridicule or unfavourable comment.

• What a sight she looks in that old dress.

In a very few cases, a sight can refer to something interesting.

• That was a sight to see.