oval

\ ˈō-vəl

How to pronounce oval (audio)

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Definition of oval

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : an oval figure or object

2 : a racetrack in the shape of an oval or a rectangle having rounded corners

oval

Definition of oval (Entry 2 of 2)

: having the shape of an egg also : broadly elliptical

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Examples of oval in a Sentence

Noun The racetrack is an oval. Adjective the Oval Office in the White House

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Skating trails — alternatives to circling an ice oval and perfecting counterclockwise turns — can be found across Canada. — Elaine Glusac, New York Times, "Where Trails Are for Skating, Not Hiking," 13 Jan. 2020 Since the moon's orbit is an oval, Earth's celestial neighbor is sometimes far, with the farthest point called apogee, and sometimes near, called perigee. — Meg Jones, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Wolf moon on Friday night is first of 13 full moons this year which include two supermoons and a rare Halloween blue moon," 9 Jan. 2020 The series so short on superstars and spicy story lines had a frenetic week surrounding the first elimination race of the playoffs at the quirky Roval hybrid road course-oval at Charlotte Motor Speedway. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Column: Wild weekend at home pumps new life into NASCAR," 30 Sep. 2019 Using your index finger, mold oval over finger, creating a ghost form. — Woman's Day Kitchen, Woman's Day, "Ghost Cupcakes," 12 Sep. 2019 The surprise isn’t that things went wrong, but that vehicles didn’t leave the factory with Lincoln badges on one side and Ford ovals on the other. — Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, "Why quality tanks in some new vehicles but not in others," 21 Dec. 2019 The arena houses one of only 30 indoor 400-meter speed skating ovals in the world and is the sixth oldest official training site for U.S. Olympic speed skating team. — Steven Martinez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Check out these 6 cheap (or free) indoor and outdoor ice skating rinks in the Milwaukee suburbs," 18 Dec. 2019 Voters will fill in ovals rather than arrows, which will be easier and lead to smoother counting, Jarrett said. — Andrew Oxford, azcentral, "Maricopa County will nearly quadruple polling places for presidential primary as compared to 2016," 12 Dec. 2019 This long oval is, essentially, two wireless charging pads in one, allowing you to charge two devices at one time. — Valentina Palladino, Ars Technica, "Guidemaster: The best Qi wireless charging pads for your smartphone," 15 Nov. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective The Oval has Utah’s only 400-meter speed skating oval and two international-sized ice sheets as well as a state-of-the-art four-lane 442-meter running track. — Tanya Edwards, refinery29.com, "Where Does Netflix’s Spinning Out Take Place?," 1 Jan. 2020 The rugged-looking, exaggerated wheels (which can light up in different colors) dominate the profile, wrapping around clear, oval-shaped glass for doors and windows in the middle. — Sebastian Blanco, Car and Driver, "Mercedes-Benz Vision AVTR Concept Inspired by 2009 Film Avatar, Scales and All," 7 Jan. 2020 The Bravo star showed off her stunning new rock in the picture, which appears to be oval-shaped. — Georgia Slater, PEOPLE.com, "Tinsley Mortimer Flashes Engagement Ring While Kissing Fiancé Scott Kluth at Thanksgiving Dinner," 29 Nov. 2019 The show is best in an oval region that surrounds earth’s magnetic poles at high latitudes. — David Wolman, Outside Online, "The Man Who Chases Auroras to Push Away Darkness," 6 Jan. 2020 The property also has an oval swimming pool, an art studio, staff quarters and a racquetball court. — Neal J. Leitereg, Los Angeles Times, "Los Angeles’ biggest home sales of 2019 hit the $150-million mark," 1 Jan. 2020 And yes, even that really nice oval-shaped office at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. — Will Weissert, USA TODAY, "How the 2020 Democratic candidates are sending off 2019," 31 Dec. 2019 His most recent San Francisco project is more subdued: an elongated loop of lights that trace the diagonal oval summit of 399 Fremont, a 40-story apartment tower on Rincon Hill. — John King, SFChronicle.com, "San Francisco’s skyline has a holiday glow. It’s a global thing," 26 Dec. 2019 Small-statured, with an oval face and blond hair pulled back, Boynton typically works alone, with some help from her four grown children and her songwriting partner, all of whom live nearby. — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, "The Bard of Bedtime," 8 Oct. 2019

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

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Last Updated

16 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Oval.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oval. Accessed 24 Feb. 2020.

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More Definitions for oval

oval

noun

English Language Learners Definition of oval

(Entry 1 of 2)

: something that has the shape of an egg

oval

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of oval (Entry 2 of 2)

: having the shape of an egg : shaped like a circle that is longer than it is wide

See the full definition for oval in the English Language Learners Dictionary

oval

\ ˈō-vəl

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Kids Definition of oval

(Entry 1 of 2)

: something having the shape of an egg or ellipse The racetrack is an oval.

oval

Kids Definition of oval (Entry 2 of 2)

: having the shape of an egg or ellipse : elliptical

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