horizontal

adjective hor·i·zon·tal \ ˌhȯr-ə-ˈzän-tᵊl , ˌhär- \

|Updated on: 18 Jun 2018

Definition of horizontal

1 a : 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 4

—

horizontal

noun

—

horizontality

play \ˌhȯr-ə-ˌzän-ˈta-lə-tē, ˌhär-\ noun

—

horizontally

play \ˌhȯr-ə-ˈzän-tᵊl-ē, ˌhär-\ adverb

See horizontal defined for English-language learners

See horizontal defined for kids

Recent Examples of horizontal from the Web

In fact, every angle gives a lower force than pushing it horizontal.

— rhett allain, WIRED, "The Surprisingly Cool Physics of Pushing a Block Against a Wall," 11 June 2018
According to the report, only vertical videos, as opposed to horizontal, will be supported.

— madeline buxton, refinery29.com, "If The Rumors Are True, You May Soon Spend Up To 60x More Time On Instagram," 6 June 2018
The nautical theme rang throughout, with chic vertical and horizontal stripes taking over the runway, along with uniform-like sets and straw sun hats.

— mara balagtas, Condé Nast Traveler, "Chanel Outdoes Itself Again With Cruise-Themed Fashion Show," 4 May 2018
The length of horizontal wells, for example, has doubled since 2014 and advanced rigs can drill multiple wells from a single location.

— collin eaton, San Antonio Express-News, "More oil, but less workers," 30 Jan. 2018
While scores of smaller companies went out of business, the survivors lengthened horizontal wells to yield more oil, and used clever hedging and drilling strategies to maximize profits even when prices slumped.

— author: clifford krauss, Anchorage Daily News, "Oil price boom gives the U.S. a new edge in energy and diplomacy," 29 Jan. 2018
While scores of smaller companies went out of business, the survivors lengthened horizontal wells to yield more oil, and used clever hedging and drilling strategies to maximize profits even when prices slumped.

— clifford krauss, The Seattle Times, "Oil resurgence gives the U.S. a new edge in energy and diplomacy," 28 Jan. 2018
While the tight fit and multicolored horizontal stripes have proved appealing, the garments are actually meant to be kind of raggedy, capturing the hardscrabble life in 1870s Maine.

— abby ellin, BostonGlobe.com, "Sweaters in Broadway’s ‘Carousel’ come with quite a yarn," 29 May 2018
The suspect was last seen wearing a gray shirt with dark horizontal stripes, a tan cap, blue jeans and a dark hoodie.

— staff report, Houston Chronicle, "Precinct 5 seeks skimmer suspect," 17 May 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.