: extended
especially
: elongated in the direction of a line joining the poles
a prolate spheroid
Examples of prolate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The disk’s material will most likely fall onto the embryonic moon from the radial (in-out) direction, sculpting the satellite into an egg or football shape—what’s called a prolate spheroid—with the long axis pointing toward the parent body.
—
Phil Plait, Scientific American, 20 Sep. 2024
Unlike baseball or basketball, the American football relies on a spiral rotation because of its prolate spheroid shape.
—Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, Popular Science, 6 Feb. 2023
That has a physical difference when gripping an object shaped like a prolate spheroid.
—Andrew Beaton, WSJ, 27 Jan. 2022
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Phil Plait, Scientific American, 20 Sep. 2024
Unlike baseball or basketball, the American football relies on a spiral rotation because of its prolate spheroid shape.
—Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, Popular Science, 6 Feb. 2023
That has a physical difference when gripping an object shaped like a prolate spheroid.
—Andrew Beaton, WSJ, 27 Jan. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Prolate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prolate. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share