set one's sights on, to

set one's sights on someone or something

Fig. to regard having someone or something as one's goal. He wanted a wife and he had set his sights on Alice. James set his sights on a law degree.See also: on, set, sight

set one's sights on

Have as a goal, as in She's set her sights on law school. This expression alludes to the device on a firearm used for taking aim. [Mid-1900s] See also: on, set, sight

set (one's) sights on

To have as a goal: She set her sights on medical school.See also: on, set, sight

set one's sights on, to

To select as one’s goal. The sights in this expression are a device such as a pair of knobs or notches placed on a firearm to help one take aim. The figurative use dates from the mid-twentieth century and also appears in such phrases as to raise one’s sights, meaning to aim higher, or to lower one’s sights, meaning to be somewhat less ambitious. The Economist used it on December 9, 1950, “The United States must now raise its sights, in terms of both manpower and production.” See also: set, sight