line of sight

American  

[lahyn uhv sahyt] / ˈlaɪn əv ˈsaɪt /

noun

1. Also called line of sighting.  an imaginary straight line running through the aligned sights of a firearm, surveying equipment, etc.

2. Astronomy. an imaginary line from an observer to a celestial body, coincident with the path traveled by light rays receivedfrom the body.

3. 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.

4. Ophthalmology. line of vision.

5. sightline.

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line of sight British  

noun

1. the straight line along which an observer looks or a beam of radiation travels

2. ophthalmol another term for line of vision

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Etymology

Origin of line of sight

First recorded in 1550–60

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

line of sight

Instead, it's a framework that aims to give teenagers a "clear line of sight to good jobs" in vocational and technical areas.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

High-power microwave systems are generally less vulnerable to rain, fog or smoke than lasers, but still depend on line of sight, range, beam control and the surrounding electromagnetic environment.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026

Schafer noted that the company’s 2026 revenue is locked in with a “clear line of sight to deployments this year.”

From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026

“We have line of sight to monetizing approximately 800 megawatts of power over time, and our pipeline of interest remains deep and active.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026

The difficulty is that in an infinite static universe nearly every line of sight would end on the surface of a star.

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking