horizontal

adjective

hor·i·zon·tal | \ ˌhȯr-ə-ˈzän-tᵊl

, ˌhär-\

Definition of horizontal

1a : of or relating to the apparent junction of earth and sky : situated near the horizon

b : parallel to, in the plane of, or operating in a plane parallel to the horizon or to a baseline : level horizontal distance a horizontal engine

2 : relating to, directed toward, or consisting of individuals or entities of similar status or on the same level horizontal mergers horizontal hostility

3 medical : relating to or being transmission (as of a disease) by physical contact or proximity in contrast with inheritance Genes are normally inherited from parents, but they can also be inserted into a genome by viruses, plasmids, and other foreign agents—a phenomenon called horizontal transfer.— Stephan Reebs — compare vertical sense 4

Other Words from horizontal More Example Sentences Learn More about horizontal

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Other Words from horizontal

horizontal noun

horizontality \ ˌhȯr-ə-ˌzän-ˈta-lə-tē

, ˌhär- \ noun

horizontally \ ˌhȯr-ə-ˈzän-tᵊl-ē

, ˌhär- \ adverb

Examples of horizontal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Its 493 focus points cover 90 percent of the image area (both vertical and horizontal). — Chris Welch, The Verge, "Nikon strikes back at Sony with first full-frame mirrorless cameras," 23 Aug. 2018 Look out for spillage, a band that doesn't lay horizontal, and tightness even on the last hook — all signs your bra is too small. — Amanda Hawkins, Good Housekeeping, "4 Signs It's Time for New Underwear and Bras," 9 Feb. 2019 The iPad Pro’s thinner bezel means much more screen in the familiar body size, and Face ID even works well when the tablet is horizontal in a keyboard case. — David Pierce, WSJ, "Apple’s New iPad Pro: Great Tablet, Still Can’t Replace Your Laptop," 5 Nov. 2018 Prayer then helps bring about a horizontal and vertical unification of our people, unification so desperately needed today. — Rabbi Avi Weiss, Jewish Journal, "Why do we pray with a set text?," 2 July 2018 The horizontal baffles create a stable, supportive sleeping surface, and foil panels stitched inside help hold warm air near your body, adding necessary nighttime warmth underneath you. — Wes Siler, Outside Online, "Plan Your First Backpacking Trip," 13 June 2018 With this wind direction, a righty—pointing the nose of the ball slightly to the left—is at risk of the wind turning the ball too far toward its horizontal axis. — Jenny Vrentas, SI.com, "Punting Takes a Left Turn," 11 Jan. 2018 Instagram has quietly started testing a horizontal feed for some users, a huge sideways shift from the vertically-scrolling user experience that’s been the norm since the app launched. — Chaim Gartenberg, The Verge, "Instagram is testing a new horizontal feed," 27 Dec. 2018 The technique involves pouring layers of paint on a horizontal surface and letting whorls, blobs, and other shapes form over time. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Study: modern masters like Jackson Pollock were “intuitive physicists”," 26 Dec. 2018

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