rectangle

noun

rect·​an·​gle ˈrek-ˌtaŋ-gəl 

: a parallelogram all of whose angles are right angles

especially : one with adjacent sides of unequal length

Examples of rectangle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These frames slip right around standard switch plates, instantly turning them from plain plastic rectangles into polished, eye-catching features. —Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Aug. 2025

Beat cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, and vanilla extract in a bowl until smooth. Unroll crescent roll dough, and use a rolling pin to shape each sheet into a 9×13-inch rectangle. —Amy Drew Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 July 2025

Three bright stars in a line in the middle of a bright rectangle decorate Orion's belt and are visible from every inhabited part of the Earth. —Joe Rao, Space.com, 28 July 2025

The site of the former plant is now a large sunken rectangle of open space, with grass growing over earth, shattered concrete, and broken bricks. —John Seabrook june 11, Literary Hub, 11 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin rectangulus having a right angle, from Latin rectus right + angulus angle — more at right, angle

First Known Use

circa 1560, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

rectangle

noun

rect·​an·​gle ˈrek-ˌtaŋ-gəl 

: a four-sided polygon that has four right angles and each pair of opposite sides parallel and of the same length

Etymology

from Latin rectangulus "having a right angle," from earlier Latin rectus "right" and angulus "angle"