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Glite Dictionary
🎯 Aiming lines 👀 Target of focus
crosshairs

crosshairs

4.4
Thin lines in a scope or camera view that show where you aim
  • noun
  • /ˈkrɔsˌhɛrz/
: punto de mira
  • In the video game, the player must aim the crosshairs at the enemy to score points.

X marks the crosshairs and the home, and explosion turns to blur.

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Examples

  • Thelma and Louise - Through the Crosshairs of a Gun Sight Ext.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • The hunter carefully adjusted the crosshairs on his rifle to ensure he would hit his target.

  • The look, I The thing is when you line those crosshairs up, because also we were, remember, we were dealing with public events.

    YaleCourses

  • X marks the crosshairs and the home, and explosion turns to blur.

    Harvard University

  • The photographer aligned the crosshairs in her camera to capture the perfect shot.

Synonyms

mark
vscrosshairs
262 4.9

A point to aim at in shooting or archery

shows the aiming device rather than the actual targeted point
cross
vscrosshairs
109 1.0

A mark of two lines that meet, often at right angles

applies that shape specifically as an aiming aid in optical devices
crosshair
vscrosshairs
11 4.1

A small set of lines on a sight or screen that shows the exact point to aim at

is the broader term used for aiming lines across devices and games
reticle
vscrosshairs
  • Specialized
1 9.5

A pattern of fine lines or dots in an eyepiece that helps you aim and measure

focuses specifically on the use of such patterns to show an aiming point
reticule
vscrosshairs
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A set of fine lines in an eyepiece that help aim and measure

has identical meaning but differs in spelling or historical form
cross hair
vscrosshairs
  • Specialized
5.5

Fine crossing lines in a sight or microscope used to aim

is the common name for that paired aiming feature across contexts
cross wire
vscrosshairs
  • Specialized
7.7

Thin crossed lines in devices like a telescope or microscope that help you aim

names the combined pair used to show the exact aiming point

Idioms

in the crosshairs
  • Informal
8 8.2

People are looking closely at and criticizing a person or thing

Surface Forms

crosshairs plural

Morphology

crosshairs = crosshair (transparent) = cross + hair + s

The singular 'crosshair' is a straightforward compound of 'cross' + 'hair' and the plural is regular, so the structure and meaning are directly derivable.

Etymology

The word crosshairs comes from the parts cross and hair: early sights used very thin 'hairs' or threads that crossed to make an exact aiming point. So crosshairs are the fine lines you see in a scope or viewfinder that show exactly where you are aiming.