arc

noun

\ ˈärk

plural arcs

Definition of arc

(Entry 1 of 4)

1 : the apparent path described above and below the horizon by a celestial body (such as the sun)

2a : 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

verb

arced\ ˈärkt

\; arcing\ ˈär-kiŋ

Definition of arc (Entry 2 of 4)

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

adjective

Definition of arc (Entry 3 of 4)

mathematics

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

ARC

abbreviation

Definition of ARC (Entry 4 of 4)

1 AIDS-related complex

2 American Red Cross

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about arc

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Synonyms & Antonyms for arc

Synonyms: Noun

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

Synonyms: Verb

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

Antonyms: Verb

straighten

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

Beat Saber’s bare minimum for success is slashing a box in the right direction, but the game awards more points for making the arcs of your cuts longer, and by hitting a note box down its center. — Adi Robertson, The Verge, "Why Beat Saber is my game of the year," 18 Dec. 2018 Here are the real winners and losers from Game 5: WINNERS LeBron James in the clutch James did most of his damage in the paint on Wednesday and was 0-for-3 behind the arc through the first 47:57 of the game. — Scott Patsko, cleveland.com, "Cavaliers vs. Pacers: Winners and losers from Game 5," 26 Apr. 2018 Howard missed his first six shots, including three from beyond the arc, before scoring nine consecutive points for Marquette to cut the lead to 27-22. — Jim Hoehn, The Seattle Times, "Ponds lifts St. John’s past No. 10 Marquette 70-69," 5 Feb. 2019 In his lone season in Oklahoma City, Anthony averaged 16.2 points and set a career high with 169 3-point field goals on .357 shooting beyond the arc. — Des Bieler, chicagotribune.com, "Carmelo Anthony reportedly talking to Rockets and Heat as he gets set to leave Thunder," 11 July 2018 Robinson, the undrafted forward out of Michigan, shot 4 of 7 on 3-pointers, after shooting 5 of 6 from beyond the arc in Tuesday's victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. — Ira Winderman, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Heat, Derrick Jones Jr. thrive again in summer league, ready for more," 5 July 2018 Mykhailiuk, who was 1 of 4 from three, went 6 of 18 from beyond the arc in three games. — Gary Bedore, kansascity, "Frank Mason's defense draws rave reviews: 'He's got a lot of bulldog in him'," 5 July 2018 Curry made 10 3-pointers on Saturday night, moving him past Utah’s Kyle Korver for fourth on the NBA career list from beyond the arc; Curry has 2,277, while Korver has 2,274 entering Monday. — Tim Reynolds, The Seattle Times, "After further review, the NBA needs to change its policy," 7 Jan. 2019 By the Bulls’ fourth game Wednesday against the Mavericks, Ingram seemed to find more of an offensive rhythm, hitting 3 of 6 from beyond the arc and finishing with 13 points, four assists and two rebounds. — Malika Andrews, chicagotribune.com, "Donte Ingram is showcasing his game for Bulls' Summer League team while looking for his next gig," 13 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The evening ends with similar impact, as the full company’s arcing paths of running dancers circuit the stage, at times suggesting a whirlpool, before looping out as a whiplash of punctuation. — Robert Greskovic, WSJ, "‘The Six Brandenburg Concertos’ Review: Falling Short of Bach," 5 Oct. 2018 On a recent afternoon at Soho Rep, a welder sent sparks arcing past a dressing room strewn with metal bars and twin vises holding lengths of steam pipe. — Alexis Soloski, New York Times, "A Safer Home for Dangerous Plays," 31 Jan. 2018 Nigeria's 19-year-old stopper was the difference between his side and a much harsher scoreline at half-time, also managing to get his fingertips to Messi's arcing free kick to tip it onto the post. — SI.com, "Nigeria 1-2 Argentina: Late Show By Rojo Sees La Albiceleste Sneak Into Knockout Stages of World Cup," 26 June 2018 The flight of the ball defied belief, arcing over the Chelsea defence and crashing into the net off the underside of the crossbar - an unstoppable effort by anyone's standards. — SI.com, "6 of the Best Moments From a Potentially Decisive Weekend of Premier League Action," 2 Apr. 2018 Before us is the gentle slope of the South Downs, a range of hills that arc from Hampshire, to the west, across 250 miles to Eastbourne and the sea. — Bruce Schoenfeld, WSJ, "English Wine Discovers Its New Sparkle," 5 Dec. 2018 On one play Sunday, Abby Dahlkemper arced a pass from beyond midfield on the right side to Rapinoe streaking along the left. — Rachel Bachman, WSJ, "Rock Star U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Makes World Cup," 15 Oct. 2018 Racket movements that should have easily resulted in high-arcing lobs often resulted into low shots over the net, for instance, without much rhyme or reason. — Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, "Hands-on: Oculus Quest is an intriguing new middle ground for VR," 27 Sep. 2018 But the ball dropped perfectly back to Mertens, whose volley from the right side of the box arced into the far corner. — Andy Scott, chicagotribune.com, "Lukaku scores twice as Belgium prove too strong for Panama," 18 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.