line of sight
Americannoun
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Also called line of sighting. an imaginary straight line running through the aligned sights of a firearm, surveying equipment, etc.
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Astronomy. an imaginary line from an observer to a celestial body, coincident with the path traveled by light rays receivedfrom the body.
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Radio. a straight line connecting two points sufficiently high and near one another so that the line is entirely above the surface of the earth.
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Ophthalmology. line of vision.
noun
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the straight line along which an observer looks or a beam of radiation travels
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ophthalmol another term for line of vision
Etymology
Origin of line of sight
First recorded in 1550–60
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.
It was traveling along the line of sight at more than 6,000 kilometers per second, indicating that a densely bound structure may have survived the initial blast and was now moving rapidly toward us.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
The sector is in a much better position and there is more line of sight to quantum really becoming a reality, a senior Commerce Department official said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026
“We have to have…not a social media post, a credible line of sight to the war in Iran ending,” he says.
From Barron's ● May 8, 2026
For commercial drones to become an everyday reality, operators need to be able to fly them beyond the visual line of sight, or BVLOS.
From BBC ● May 6, 2026
Her line of sight led straight to Drew, who was arguing with Erin a half-court bounce pass away.
From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan
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.
