1
: a distant view through or along an avenue or opening : prospect
2
: an extensive mental view (as over a stretch of time or a series of events)
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Did you know?
Vista is generally used today for broad sweeping views of the kind you might see from a mountaintop. But the word originally meant an avenue-like view, narrowed by a line of trees on either side. And vista has also long been used (like view and outlook) to mean a mental scan of the future—as if you were riding down a long grand avenue and what you could see a mile or so ahead of you was where you'd be in the very near future.
Cite this Entry
“Vista.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vista. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.
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