figure eight
noun
: something resembling the Arabic numeral eight in form or shape: such as
a
: a small knot see knot illustration
b
: an embroidery stitch
c
: a dance pattern
d
: a skater's figure
called also figure-of-eight
Examples of figure eight in a Sentence
The skater traced a figure eight on the ice.
Recent Examples on the Web
Neptune may have the most pleasingly shaped analemma of them all: its tilt is 28 degrees, but its orbital eccentricity is very slight, so its analemma is a nearly symmetric figure eight.
—
Phil Plait, Scientific American, 5 June 2025
Combined with Earth’s tilt, this throws off the figure eight’s north-south symmetry.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 5 June 2025
Picture the top, bottom and middle of a figure eight in your mind.
—Amanda Loudin, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025
Run the figure eight, aiming to improve your reaction time on turns and curves.
—Amanda Loudin, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for figure eight
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.
Phil Plait, Scientific American, 5 June 2025
Combined with Earth’s tilt, this throws off the figure eight’s north-south symmetry.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 5 June 2025
Picture the top, bottom and middle of a figure eight in your mind.
—Amanda Loudin, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025
Run the figure eight, aiming to improve your reaction time on turns and curves.
—Amanda Loudin, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for figure eight
Cite this Entry
“Figure eight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/figure%20eight. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share