crosshair
noun
cross·hair
| \ ˈkrȯs-ˌher
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Definition of crosshair
: a fine wire or thread in the focus of the eyepiece of an optical instrument used as a reference line in the field or for marking the instrumental axis
—used figuratively to describe someone or something being targeted as if through an aiming device having crosshairs … in the crosshairs this political season— J. H. Alter
Examples of crosshair in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Beijing’s 5% levy on American crude oil marks the first time the fuel has been in the crosshairs since the world’s two biggest economies began their tussle over trade more than a year ago. — Charlie Campbell/beijing, Time, "As the U.S.-China Trade War Escalates, Pocketbooks Feel the Pain," 5 Sep. 2019 In the crosshairs As cities expand and land is developed, clashes between humans and jaguars increase. — Steve Winter, National Geographic, "The struggle to protect a vital jaguar corridor," 21 Aug. 2019 Also in the crosshairs are hundreds of U.S. factory jobs, another instance of the collateral damage trade tensions are imposing on the U.S. economy. — Stephen Gandel, CBS News, "Warren Buffett investment now a target in U.S.-China trade war," 25 July 2019 President Trump’s commentary put Facebook back in the crosshairs just hours after the White House hosted a social media summit—notably without Facebook, Twitter, or Google on the invite list. — Matthew De Silva, Quartz, "Donald Trump’s “not a fan” of bitcoin," 11 July 2019 The studio is hoping that putting Banning in the crosshairs of a conspiracy gets people’s attention and helps score a late summer hit. — Chris Thilk, The Hollywood Reporter, "Lionsgate Bets on Durability of 'Angel Has Fallen' to Keep Franchise Going," 23 Aug. 2019 There’s another potential effect: Nigeria’s fledgling startups and businesses, possibly the biggest success story in the country in the last decade, may be caught in the crosshairs of the policy. — Yomi Kazeem, Quartz Africa, "Nigeria wants to start charging a tax on local online purchases," 5 Aug. 2019 Of the five biggest tech companies in the U.S., Microsoft is the only one that isn't currently in the crosshairs of U.S. antitrust authorities. — Dina Bass, latimes.com, "Microsoft’s past antitrust missteps offer lessons for today’s tech giants," 20 June 2019 On Monday the House Judiciary committee announced a bipartisan antitrust probe that has Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon in its crosshairs. — Tom Simonite, WIRED, "Bezos Says Amazon Will Bet Even Bigger Despite Antitrust Probes," 6 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'crosshair.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for crosshair
crosshair
noun
English Language Learners Definition of crosshair
: a very thin wire or thread that is seen when you look into a microscope, telescope, etc., and that is used for precisely viewing or aiming at something
See the full definition for crosshair in the English Language Learners Dictionary