crosshair

noun cross·hair \ ˈkrȯs-ˌher \

|Updated on: 19 Jun 2018

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

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Recent Examples of crosshair from the Web

Strzok and Page have been in the crosshairs of the White House and its defenders since the mid-December release of their personal messages.

— zack beauchamp, Vox, "The “we’ll stop it” text: the IG report’s most inflammatory finding, explained," 14 June 2018
Sessions warned at the time that any pot business could find itself in the crosshairs of prosecutors — regardless of whether marijuana was legal in their state.

— evan halper, latimes.com, "Trump says he is likely to support ending blanket federal ban on marijuana," 8 June 2018
Twenty years ago, another powerful tech company founds itself in the crosshairs of American and British antitrust regulators: Microsoft.

— christopher carbone, Fox News, "Google could be facing another massive fine from the EU," 7 June 2018
The objectives are multi-layered for leadership, who have been caught in the crosshairs of the Republican civil war.

— lauren fox and tal kopan, CNN, "House Republicans gear up for marathon immigration debate," 7 June 2018
The Times report says Facebook allowed the companies access to the data of friends of the user without their explicit consent, a practice that landed the company in the crosshairs of Congress during the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

— CBS News, "Facebook under scrutiny over data sharing after Times report," 4 June 2018
President Donald Trump’s push to impose painful tariffs on auto imports has put close U.S. allies in the crosshairs of a global trade row that is riling stock markets and creating uncertainty among auto makers, investors and governments.

— sean mclain, WSJ, "Trump Tariff Threat Vexes Allies and Global Auto Makers," 24 May 2018
One interesting thing to note here is that Draft, the fantasy sports platform acquired by Paddy Powers Betfair for $48 million last year, may be caught in the crosshairs of this merger.

— polina marinova, Fortune, "Term Sheet -- Thursday, May 24," 24 May 2018
Granit Xhaka is once again in the crosshairs of Arsenal fans after the club confirmed his number change from 29 to 34.

— SI.com, "Arsenal Fans Remain Divided Over Granit Xhaka's Gunners Future After Club Confirm Number Change," 23 May 2018

These 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.

First Known Use of crosshair

circa 1884

in the meaning defined above

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CROSSHAIR Defined for English Language Learners

crosshair

noun

Definition of crosshair for English Language Learners

: 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

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