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

That means it could be seen as a horizontal agreement, according to Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Aitor Ortiz. — Washington Post, "Facebook Finally Meets a Regulator With Bite," 18 Sep. 2019 Last year, the United States took the honor, thanks to the wonders of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling. — David Meyer, Fortune, "Changing Oil Landscapes: CEO Daily," 16 Sep. 2019 The striking contemporary-style house, with walls of glass and horizontal louvers, was designed by architectural firm Honnold & Rex and built in 1954 as part of the Architectural Products magazine research program. — Los Angeles Times, "Hot Property: Alicia Keys gets into the La Jolla state of mind," 14 Sep. 2019 There are horizontal sheet webs that catch falling prey and vertical latticework webs that intercept flying prey. — Jason Bittel, National Geographic, "How spider silk is one of the most versatile materials on Earth," 12 Sep. 2019 The 1964 model only had minor changes, like a new horizontal-bars grille and different taillights. — David Krumboltz, The Mercury News, "Me & My Car: Push-button gears sold buyer on ’64 Valiant," 9 Sep. 2019 Food is delivered on a tray through a horizontal slot in the door. — NBC News, "Lester Holt: What I learned from spending two nights in a maximum-security prison," 6 Sep. 2019 Tornadoes thrive, in part, on strong vertical shear, which means a difference in horizontal winds' direction and speed at different heights. — Jason Hanna, CNN, "Why tornadoes are among a hurricane's potent threats," 5 Sep. 2019 Reflections of lightning flashed across the walls of the Intensive Care Unit, and sheets of nearly horizontal rain beat a tattoo against the windows, with seemingly no spaces between the raindrops. — New York Times, "Waiting for the Monsoon, Discovering a Brain Tumor Instead," 31 Aug. 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.