bird's eye view

Idioms and Phrases

An overview, as in This balcony gives us a bird's eye view of the town , or This course gives you a bird's eye view of history—from Eolithic man to the Gulf War in one semester . This expression can be used literally, for a panoramic view such as a bird might see, as well as figuratively. [c. 1600]

Example Sentences

“The title sequence of ‘Gilmore Girls’ also captures the feeling of fall, with its bird’s-eye view of a small-town scene surrounded by the warm hues of fall leaves,” Davidson says.

From Los Angeles Times

A thick canopy of lush green leaves seems to pour from the sky onto the rooftops, and in that overhead oasis, you’ll find that it’s the cats of Delhi who have a bird’s-eye view of it all.

From Salon

“We are blending Gehry’s building with AI’s infrastructure and technology, and this never-seen-before art form,” Anadol said with animated intensity during an interview on the 31st floor of the Grand’s residential tower, which has a bird’s-eye view of Disney Hall.

From Los Angeles Times

A quantum computer, he says, has a bird’s-eye view of the same maze, which makes it easier to see the optimum pathway all at once.

From Science Magazine

At first, aircraft were used mainly to carry out reconnaissance flights, affording a bird’s-eye view of the battlefield and enemy positions.

From Literature