crosshair

noun

cross·​hair ˈkrȯs-ˌher 

: 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

The tactics landed the company's top brass in the crosshairs of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

—Houston Chronicle

Examples of crosshair in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Those supplies are often caught in geopolitical crosshairs, as the US and China — locked in a fierce AI race — maneuver to deny each other technological advantages. — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 5 Nov. 2026

Laila is in Conteh’s crosshairs for whatever reasons are behind her being removed from active duty, and Reed could get her out of whatever that pickle is. — Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2026

This is a team, at 6-1, that has the playoffs in its crosshairs. — Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 5 Nov. 2026

The split vote to kill the tolls sent shockwaves all the way to Raleigh, putting the entire Charlotte region in state lawmakers’ crosshairs before the highway project was ultimately revived in September. — Charlotte Observer, 2 Nov. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1684, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for crosshair

• abwehr
• affair
• affaire
• airfare
• altair
• armchair
• aware
• beware
• bugbear
• carfare
• childcare
• compare

Kids Definition

cross hair

noun

: one of the very thin wires or threads in the eyepiece of an optical instrument (as a microscope) used as a reference line