skyline
Americannoun
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the boundary line between earth and sky; the apparent horizon.
A sail appeared against the skyline.
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the outline of something, as the buildings of a city, against the sky.
the New York skyline.
verb (used with object)
noun
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the line at which the earth and sky appear to meet; horizon
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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:
Hot air balloons have been a defining feature of Bristol's skyline for nearly 60 years.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 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
The rooftop bar, which offers stunning skyline views of the city and a pool, is now called Somewhere Special.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
The moon had traveled across the entire skyline when Pond finally stopped singing.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
“A city can be booming and unaffordable at the same time. It can have ever-expanding skylines while its people live ever-shrinking lives. We are not going to pretend that that’s good enough.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Tourists still lined up to peer through them at city skylines and waterfalls.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
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
Social media users uploaded photos and videos of darkened city skylines.
From New York Times ● May 8, 2024
She’s drawn cities there, skylines around the soles.
From "Every Day" by David Levithan
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.
