bird's-eye view

Definition of bird's-eye view

1 : a view from a high angle as if seen by a bird in flight

2 : an overall or cursory look at something

Examples of bird's-eye view in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The images of animals, plants, and geometric shapes each stretch dozens or hundreds of meters across the desert floor, and some require a bird's-eye view to fully appreciate. — Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, "Archaeologists found 143 more images among the Nazca Lines," 2 Dec. 2019 Once the tallest structure in the world, with sweeping views of centers of power like the Capitol and Pentagon, the Washington Monument brought a bird's-eye view of some of America's biggest moments . — CBS News, "An exclusive look inside the newly restored Washington Monument," 18 Sep. 2019 Not to mention the advent of the drone camera, which allows just about anyone to get a bird's-eye view. — CBS News, "Almanac: America's first aerial photograph," 13 Oct. 2019 As the helicopter provided a bird's-eye view of the final mile of the race, the shot panned above the roof of an apartment building with the cannabis plants. — Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAY, "Spanish police seize 40 cannabis plants thanks to helicopter filming Vuelta a España cycling race," 4 Sep. 2019 Here's a bird's-eye view of utter and near-total destruction. — NBC News, "Aerial footage shows jaw-dropping scale of Hurricane Dorian's destruction in the Bahamas," 3 Sep. 2019 That outright acknowledgment of the process lets the audience take a bird's-eye view of Jarmusch's zombie concept, circling the themes and references on a macro level. — Katie Walsh, latimes.com, "Review: Bill Murray and Adam Driver battle zombies in ‘The Dead Don’t Die’," 13 June 2019 The wrangler system is one where ordinary user behavior can be successful, a system which accepts that users periodically need help from someone with a bird's-eye view of the larger picture. — Gretchen Mcculloch, WIRED, "Fans Are Better Than Tech at Organizing Information Online," 11 June 2019 Getty Most of us spend our days firmly rooted on terra firma, which means seeing the world from a bird's-eye view is extra special (yet another reason to snag that window seat). — Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, "30 Beautiful Aerial Photographs Taken Around the World," 24 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bird's-eye view.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about bird's-eye view

Dictionary Entries near bird's-eye view

bird's-eye primrose

bird's-eye spot

bird's-eye view

bird's-foot clover

bird's-foot fern

Statistics for bird's-eye view

Cite this Entry

“Bird's-eye view.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bird%27s-eye%20view. Accessed 23 Feb. 2020.

WORD OF THE DAY

misbegotten

See Definitions and Examples »

Test Your Vocabulary

More Confusing Words—Quiz

The magician ______ moved the selected card to the top of the deck.

discreetly discretely

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.