x-axis

noun

x-ax·​is ˈeks-ˌak-səs How to pronounce x-axis (audio)
1
: the axis in a plane Cartesian coordinate system parallel to which abscissas are measured
2
: one of the three axes in a three-dimensional rectangular coordinate system

Examples of x-axis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Soon, the application of some instrument oil, silicone grease, and Kimwipes had the x-axis and pen lifter working again. Stephen Cass, IEEE Spectrum, 27 June 2025 Result: the murderer could only have been Person B, on the x-axis. Sarah Larson, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2025 There is a bar for each year on the x-axis whose length represents the average number of minutes change in time spent at home as compared to the same statistic in 2003. The Learning Network, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025 Ride only the x-axis and, eventually, all the sprinting entrances and exits and panting, gasping line deliveries in the world won’t save you. Sara Holdren, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2024 Complex numbers can be plotted on a plane, with the real part on the x-axis and the imaginary part on the y-axis. Jordana Cepelewicz, WIRED, 4 Aug. 2024 That’s because the roots of a function occur where its graph crosses the horizontal line y=0 (the x-axis), and in general, those intersections aren’t symmetric about the cubic’s special point of symmetry. Patrick Honner, Quanta Magazine, 24 Mar. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1886, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of x-axis was in 1886

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“X-axis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/x-axis. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

x-axis

noun
x-ax·​is
ˈek-ˌsak-səs
: the horizontal axis in a plane coordinate system along which or parallel to which abscissas are measured compare y-axis
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