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

Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren aren’t going anywhere, but key players with eight-figure salaries such as Caruso and Hartenstein might be a different story and could be in the financial crosshairs. — John Hollinger, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2026

Not satisfied with just being a coming-of-age drama or a high-school love triangle, the film puts class in Reagan-era America squarely in its crosshairs. — Sezin Devi Koehler, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Oct. 2026

This relationship has put ICEYE — or one of its satellites, at least — in Russia's crosshairs. — Mike Wall, Space.com, 22 Oct. 2026

The moves sparked a conflict that has plunged the region into unprecedented turmoil and placed Washington’s allies, including Saudi Arabia, in Iran’s crosshairs. — Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 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