arc

noun \ ˈärk \

|Updated on: 16 Jul 2018

Examples: arc in a Sentence

Definition of arc

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

See arc defined for English-language learners

See arc defined for kids

Examples of arc in a Sentence

He bent the twig into an arc.
The ball floated in a high arc.

Recent Examples of arc from the Web

The thing looked like a cross between a shopping cart and a rocket ship, with an arc of safety-orange fabric stretched over the top.

— susannah gardiner, Smithsonian, "How an Exquisitely Designed Cart for Homeless People Inspired a Wave of Artists’ Activism," 19 Mar. 2018
The blast was incredible: an arc of flame and steam reaching for the heavens.

— matthew continetti, National Review, "In Praise of Elon Musk," 10 Feb. 2018
Chrissy Metz, on the other hand, was nominated last year but did not see a repeat, despite an involved arc about learning to find her voice again while still grieving for her father and planning her wedding.

— danielle turchiano, chicagotribune.com, "Emmy nominations: The biggest snubs and surprises," 12 July 2018
The reef forms an arc around the Florida Keys, with its northern end at Biscayne National Park.

— anne geggis, Sun-Sentinel.com, "A rainforest of the sea: Deerfield looks to net more tourists with underwater attractions," 8 July 2018
This combined with several special abilities—like an air leap attack, a blast that hits enemies in an arc in front of you, a limitless supply of quick dash moves, and great-feeling weapons—keep the power fantasy value quite high in Rage 2's combat.

— samuel axon, Ars Technica, "Rage 2 at E3: Doom’s punk rock sibling feels great to play," 17 June 2018
While the sequel doesn’t have an emotional arc quite as poignant as the first Incredibles did, its B-plot (which sees Bob playing stay-at-home dad while Helen goes off to save the world) is nonetheless consistently charming.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "Incredibles 2 Is an Exhilarating Ride," 13 June 2018
But Tina Fey’s book is rock-solid, with an arc for every character, jokes galore, and a spot-on sense of how teen girls love and betray one another.

— constance grady, Vox, "Your guide to the 17 most important nominees at this year’s Tonys," 7 June 2018
But a 6-foot-8 forward who shoots 43.6 percent from beyond the arc is a fit for most teams around the league.

— orion sang, Detroit Free Press, "How Anthony Tolliver improved shot; will he stay with Detroit Pistons?," 28 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'arc.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of arc

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

arc Synonyms

Synonyms

angle, arch, bend, bow, crook, curvature, curve, inflection, turn, wind;

Related Words

kink, warp;

circle, ring, ringlet, round;

coil, curl, curlicue (also curlycue);

buckle, convolution, flexure, fold, loop, spiral, swirl, twist, winding;

incurvature, reflection;

decline, inclination, incline, slope;

corner, turnoff;

dogleg, hairpin;

Other Electrical Engineering Terms

feedback, fuse, incandescent, noise, resonance

arc

verb

Definition of arc

arced play \ˈärkt\; arcing play \ˈär-kiŋ\

intransitive verb

1 : to form an electric arc (see ¹arc 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

See arc defined for English-language learners

Examples of arc in a Sentence

The arrow arced through the air.
A light arced across the sky.
The island chain arcs from north to south.

Recent Examples of arc from the Web

Curry trains his eyes on the hooks that connect the hoop to the net and thinks about arcing the ball over them. 5.

— charles curtis, For The Win, "Steph Curry's MasterClass basically turned me into an honorary Splash Brother," 8 June 2018
All the show’s key characters enjoyed long, arcing evolutions, but Spike’s perhaps has the sharpest angle from concept to conclusion.

— andrew dansby, Houston Chronicle, "‘Buffy’ vampire James Marsters comes out in the daylight for Comicpalooza," 23 May 2018
Yet his lap is painted over with easy, loose, arcing, almost-translucent strokes.

— cate mcquaid, BostonGlobe.com, "At the Rose, taking tenderness to unexpected places," 25 Apr. 2018
And Curry follows with a high-arcing moonshot, and Durant tosses down again.

— michael powell, New York Times, "You Knew the Warriors Were Coming Back. The Rockets Did, Too.," 29 May 2018
Daniel Cabrera hit a high-arcing 3-run home run in the second inning to give LSU the lead despite Gilbert's rough start.

— brody miller, NOLA.com, "LSU baseball dominates McNeese State, wins third straight," 10 May 2018
The Cavaliers had less than two seconds left, facing a two-point deficit and potential 0-2 hole vs. the Magic before James’ high-arcing 3.

— cleveland.com, "LeBron James' 43-point playoff masterpiece: Where does it rank?," 4 May 2018
Victor Oladipo beats the shot-clock buzzer with a high-arcing 3 over LeBron James.

— scott horner, Indianapolis Star, "Reaction to the Pacers' Game 7 loss to the Cavaliers," 29 Apr. 2018
The patient was a middle-aged man who was born with a leaky valve at the root of his aorta, the wide-bored blood vessel that arcs out of the human heart and carries blood to the upper and lower reaches of the body.

— New York Times, "Surgical Checklists Save Lives — but Once in a While, They Don’t. Why?," 9 May 2018

Origin and Etymology of arc

see ¹arc

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1883

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

arc Synonyms

Synonyms

arch, bend, bow, crook, curve, fall off, hook, round, sweep, swerve, trend, wheel;

Antonyms

straighten;

turn, twist, wind;

deviate, veer;

Other Electrical Engineering Terms

feedback, fuse, incandescent, noise, resonance

arc

adjective

Definition of arc

mathematics

: inverse 2 —used with the trigonometric functions and hyperbolic functions

Origin and Etymology of arc

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1949

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

ARC

abbreviation

Definition of ARC

1 AIDS-related complex

2 American Red Cross

Other Medicine Terms

analgesia, angina, diabetes, hepatitis, homeopathy, logorrhea, palliate, pandemic

ARC Defined for English Language Learners

arc

noun

Definition of arc for English Language Learners

: a line or shape that is curved like part of a circle
: a brightly glowing electric current that flows across an open space between two points (such as two electrodes)

arc

verb

Definition of arc for English Language Learners

: to move or lie in a curving path : to follow an arc-shaped course
: to form an electric arc

ARC Defined for Kids

arc

noun \ ˈärk \

Definition of arc for Students

1 : a glowing light across a gap in an electric circuit or between electrodes

2 : a part of a curved line between any two points on it

arc

verb

Definition of arc for Students

arced \ˈärkt\; arcing \ˈär-kiŋ\

1 : to form an electric arc

2 : to follow a curved course

A missile arced across the sky.

Medical Dictionary

arc

noun \ ˈärk \

medical Definition of arc

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

abbreviation

medical Definition of ARC

1 AIDS-related complex

2 American Red Cross

Learn More about arc

See words that rhyme with arc Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for arc Spanish Central: Translation of arc Nglish: Translation of arc for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of arc for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about arc

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arc

Definition of arc

Examples of arc in a Sentence

Recent Examples of arc from the Web

Origin and Etymology of arc

arc Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Other Electrical Engineering Terms

arc

Definition of arc

Examples of arc in a Sentence

Recent Examples of arc from the Web

Origin and Etymology of arc

arc Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Other Electrical Engineering Terms

arc

Definition of arc

Origin and Etymology of arc

ARC

Definition of ARC

Other Medicine Terms

ARC Defined for English Language Learners

arc

Definition of arc for English Language Learners

arc

Definition of arc for English Language Learners

ARC Defined for Kids

arc

Definition of arc for Students

arc

Definition of arc for Students

Medical Dictionary

arc

medical Definition of arc

ARC

medical Definition of ARC

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