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cross hair

American  
Or crosshair

noun

  1. Also called cross wire.  one of the fine wires or fibers, strands of spider web, or the like, crossing in a focal plane of an optical instrument to center a target or object or to define a line of sight.

  2. one of the marks that aid in the positioning of overlaying images for correct registration in printing.

Etymology

Origin of cross hair

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The observer who works on the front instrument keeps a cross hair on a fixed star.

From Giants on the Earth by Meek, S. P. (Sterner St. Paul)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.