arc

1 of 5

noun

plural arcs
1
: the apparent path described above and below the horizon by a celestial body (such as the sun)
2
a
: something arched or curved
b
: a curved path
the arc of a fly ball
c
basketball : three-point line
At week's end he was shooting 40.0% from behind the arc and averaging 19.6 points.Phil Taylor
3
: a sustained luminous discharge of electricity across a gap in a circuit or between electrodes
also : arc lamp
4
: a continuous portion (as of a circle or ellipse) of a curved line
5
: degree measurement on the circumference of a circle
used especially in the phrase of arc
11 minutes 3 seconds of arc
6
: a continuous progression or line of development
a story's dramatic arc

arc

2 of 5

verb

arced ˈärkt How to pronounce arc (audio) ; arcing ˈär-kiŋ How to pronounce arc (audio)

intransitive verb

1
: to form an electric arc (see arc entry 1 sense 3)
2
: to follow an arc-shaped course
The ball arced across the sky.

transitive verb

: to throw, hit, or kick (something, such as a ball) on a high, arc-shaped course
After driving into the long rough, he reached for a 4-wood and arced the ball just wide of the green.Jeff Shain

arc

3 of 5

adjective

mathematics
: inverse sense 2
used with the trigonometric functions and hyperbolic functions

ARC

4 of 5

abbreviation

1
AIDS-related complex
2
American Red Cross

ARC

5 of 5

abbreviation or noun

plural ARCs
: a copy of a printed work (such as a novel or textbook) sent as a promotion prior to the official release
First, I receive a box of paperback, smaller versions of my book called advance reader copies (ARCs).Susan Van Kirk
While some houses like Chronicle Books continued to sell on the show floor, albeit at 50% discount, many publishers offered free ARCsJudith Rosen

Examples of arc in a Sentence

Noun He bent the twig into an arc. The ball floated in a high arc. Verb The arrow arced through the air. A light arced across the sky. The island chain arcs from north to south.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Fans of Frank Herbert’s Dune saga agree: The first book is extraordinary — a planet-hopping hero’s journey with compelling characters, riveting action set-pieces, and clear story and character arcs. James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024 Los Angeles went 5 of 18 (.278) from the field and 1 of 6 (.167) from beyond the arc. Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 7 Mar. 2024 The most discouraging stat: 28.1 shooting overall and just 22.6 percent inside the arc, negating a season-high 20 offensive rebounds and only eight turnovers. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2024 Playing the title role of a linguistics professor who faces changes and prepares her family for what's to come as the disease takes hold, Moore navigates the character arc with honesty and heart-tugging empathy. Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024 In addition to Adebayo and Butler’s big games, Caleb Martin added 18 points on 4-of-6 shooting from behind the arc, five rebounds, four assists and three blocks in 23 minutes off the Heat’s bench. Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2024 Struggle to defend inside the arc: The Bears struggle to defend 2-point shots, ranking No. 226 in opponent 2-point percentage (51.6%). Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 2 Mar. 2024 South Florida entered Saturday’s matchup shooting 32.6% from beyond the arc as a team. Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 2 Mar. 2024 But that’s as close as Westbrook (28-10) would get as Dollar was on fire hitting 11 of 18 from the floor, including four of six from beyond the arc. Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Feb. 2024
Verb
The Parisian river is the fifth-largest in France and winds directly through the heart of the country’s capital city, with dozens of famous bridges arcing over it. Sean Neumann, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024 The old tunnel follows a curvy track under Bolton Hill, Upton and Sandtown-Winchester while the new one will arc smoothly to the north under Reservoir Hill and Penn North before emerging near a new West Baltimore MARC station. Dillon Mullan, Baltimore Sun, 7 Feb. 2024 Virgin Galactic During about three minutes of weightlessness, as Unity arced over the top of its trajectory, the passengers were able to unstrap, float about the cabin and take in spectacular views of Earth far below, before returning to their seats for the plunge back into the lower atmosphere. William Harwood, CBS News, 26 Jan. 2024 The 196-foot-tall (60-meter) rocket arced toward the east through a clear sky, then jettisoned its five boosters to fall into the Atlantic Ocean. Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 11 Sep. 2023 According to Zack, a power line was arcing from the transformer to the breaker box of his home, shortly before the fire. Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Jan. 2024 Had things gone as planned, the spacecraft would have then arced back toward our planet and looped outward a second time for a lunar rendezvous. Michael Greshko, Scientific American, 19 Jan. 2024 In one image, the clouds arc overhead and people stand in a gentle curve to match the spiral guidance. Benj Edwards, Ars Technica, 15 Sep. 2023 Video posted online showed one or two orange flares, of the sort used to summon help or signal an emergency, arcing up into the air around dusk, before settling to the ground. Praveena Somasundaram, Washington Post, 5 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'arc.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English ark, from Anglo-French arc bow, from Latin arcus bow, arch, arc — more at arrow

Adjective

arc sine arc or angle (corresponding to the) sine (of so many degrees)

Abbreviation or noun

advanced reader copy

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1883, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

circa 1949, in the meaning defined above

Abbreviation Or Noun

2006, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of arc was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near arc

Cite this Entry

“Arc.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arc. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

arc

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: something curved
b
: a curved path
2
: a glowing flow of electricity across a gap in a circuit or between electrodes
3
: a continuous portion of a curved line (as part of the circumference of a circle)

arc

2 of 2 verb
1
: to form an electric arc
2
: to follow an arc-shaped course

Medical Definition

arc

1 of 2 noun
1
: an arched or curved anatomical part, distance, or pathway see reflex arc
2
: a sustained luminous discharge of electricity across a gap in a circuit or between electrodes

ARC

2 of 2 abbreviation
1
AIDS-related complex
2
American Red Cross

More from Merriam-Webster on arc

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