skyline
Americannoun
-
skylines
plural
-
the boundary line between earth and sky; the apparent horizon.
A sail appeared against the skyline.
-
the outline of something, as the buildings of a city, against the sky.
the New York skyline.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
the line at which the earth and sky appear to meet; horizon
-
the outline of buildings, mountains, trees, etc, seen against the sky
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of skyline
Explanation
In a city, the row of buildings you can see right at the horizon is called a skyline. The best views of the Manhattan skyline are from New Jersey and Brooklyn. When you're near a city but not in the center of it, you can really appreciate its skyline. Officially, you don't need a full-fledged city to have a skyline, just an outline of land or buildings along the horizon. Still, when you think of skylines, you probably think of New York or Los Angeles or Shanghai. The word dates from 1824.
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.
See Examples For:
Gilbert plans to take down two buildings in Detroit’s Renaissance Center, the group of seven interconnected skyscrapers that has defined the skyline since the 1970s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
And the unfettered skyline view, which could soon be lost.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
Behind them the water is a luminescent strip of blue, abutting a silhouetted skyline in which many of the buildings belch smoke; a few of the industrial structures spew fire.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
The second property sits on a 1.34-acre waterfront lot inside the exclusive guard-gated enclave and offers sweeping views of Biscayne Bay and the downtown Miami skyline.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
His gaze drifted to the glowing Manhattan skyline.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
Trump has spent decades tussling with residents and politicians over development projects that changed city skylines from New York to Chicago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 16, 2025
Within a generation, architects realized that they could safely sketch out—and build—the giant office towers that have defined big cities’ skylines ever since.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 15, 2025
The movie opens with a bird’s-eye view of Los Angeles’ picturesque skylines, reservoirs and grassy hillsides before the bold-faced title appears, accompanied by ominous music courtesy of legendary composer John Williams.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2025
In Muslim-majority countries, they’re in the minarets defining skylines, the headscarves donned by many women, the omnipresent call to prayer that beckons the faithful five times a day, and the references peppering casual greetings.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 4, 2023
Behind them we can see the skylines of the other four districts through enormous windows.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
He is skylined on the hill above us, facing us from 184 yards away.
From Time Magazine Archive
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.
