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

The first step was horizontal, the second vertical. — Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, "Real World Economics: Playing monopoly is more than just rolling the dice," 16 June 2019 The most common patterns, not surprisingly, are horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines, along with zigzags and crosses. — Patrick May, The Mercury News, "Want to win this week’s Mega Millions jackpot? Here are some things to avoid," 6 June 2019 Almost every horizontal surface on the white catamaran is covered with solar panels (1,400 square feet of them in all), which curve gently to fit the aerodynamic contours. — Jack Stewart, WIRED, "The Funky Boat Circling the Planet on Renewable Energy and Hydrogen Gas," 5 July 2018 In fashion, nautical means horizontal, and in my experience, the larger the width of the stripe, the fewer people look good in it. — Tim Gunn, Marie Claire, "Tim Gunn: How to Wear Trench Coats and Nautical Stripes," 12 July 2010 Quick vertical and horizontal lines are underscored by staccato stabs of the brush. — Christopher Knight, latimes.com, "Review: LACMA’s ‘Art of Korean Writing’ reveals the brilliance in each brushstroke," 29 June 2019 The inside of the spoon is curved in the horizontal and vertical direction, so right and left sides and top and bottom of the image are switched. — Scientific American, "Distorted Images," 6 June 2019 Correction posted January 5, 2009 The captions for the vertical and horizontal captions were inadvertently reversed in the original version. — The Christian Science Monitor, "Corrections," 4 Mar. 2019 The first is horizontal: Stand with slightly bent knees, and hold each end of the dumbbell in your hands. — NBC News, "Train like an athlete: 5 postpartum exercises the Lamoureux twins love," 7 June 2019

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.