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
With your chest forward, make a figure eight, looping around the blocks.
—
Dominique Fluker, Essence, 3 Jan. 2024
Together, the interplay of the two round mechanisms creates the subtle shape of a figure eight as a nod to the brand’s 8th Fundamental Invention.
—Cait Bazemore, Robb Report, 27 Oct. 2023
Take in as much of the land as possible by combining hiking trails to form a figure eight around the park.
—Madeline Bilis, Travel + Leisure, 10 Aug. 2023
Bees therefore can make three different types of mistakes: pointing in the wrong direction, signaling the wrong distance, or making more errors in performing the figure eight dance pattern – what researchers call disorder errors.
—Discover Magazine, 14 Mar. 2023
The drone then starts swerving haphazardly, cutting figure eights and zigzags in the air.
—Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2023
With 41 oval-cut pink sapphires from Madagascar — totaling 57.98 carats — swaths of coral, square-cut diamonds and round mauve sapphires, the cuff forms a figure eight, its rosy pink and magenta gems mimicking the sky at dawn and dusk.
—New York Times, 20 Aug. 2021
Eight Follow Through knot, more commonly known as the figure eight, is the first knot every climber learns and the most important one in climbing, because it’s used to connect the rope to your harness—that is, tying in.
—Jayme Moye, Outside Online, 9 June 2017
The fourth, twisted like a figure eight, leaned against the sandstone wall as if protective of the others.
—Carolyn Wells, Longreads, 8 Nov. 2022
Dominique Fluker, Essence, 3 Jan. 2024
Together, the interplay of the two round mechanisms creates the subtle shape of a figure eight as a nod to the brand’s 8th Fundamental Invention.
—Cait Bazemore, Robb Report, 27 Oct. 2023
Take in as much of the land as possible by combining hiking trails to form a figure eight around the park.
—Madeline Bilis, Travel + Leisure, 10 Aug. 2023
Bees therefore can make three different types of mistakes: pointing in the wrong direction, signaling the wrong distance, or making more errors in performing the figure eight dance pattern – what researchers call disorder errors.
—Discover Magazine, 14 Mar. 2023
The drone then starts swerving haphazardly, cutting figure eights and zigzags in the air.
—Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2023
With 41 oval-cut pink sapphires from Madagascar — totaling 57.98 carats — swaths of coral, square-cut diamonds and round mauve sapphires, the cuff forms a figure eight, its rosy pink and magenta gems mimicking the sky at dawn and dusk.
—New York Times, 20 Aug. 2021
Eight Follow Through knot, more commonly known as the figure eight, is the first knot every climber learns and the most important one in climbing, because it’s used to connect the rope to your harness—that is, tying in.
—Jayme Moye, Outside Online, 9 June 2017
The fourth, twisted like a figure eight, leaned against the sandstone wall as if protective of the others.
—Carolyn Wells, Longreads, 8 Nov. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'figure eight.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near figure eight
Cite this Entry
“Figure eight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/figure%20eight. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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