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

From out of nowhere, bands of light form an illuminated rectangle around the car, light emanating from some unknown source suspended in the air. —Literary Hub, 9 Mar. 2026

To hide content on your iPhone or computer browser, tap the Page Menu icon – that’s the sideways rectangle with two lines under it – on the left side of the navigation bar. —Cody Godwin, USA Today, 4 Mar. 2026

How differently might the same vista appear when seen from amid a mob that’s been disgorged from a tour bus, through the rectangle of a cell-phone camera, or, more simply, while on a quiet walk? —The New Yorker, New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2026

Fields soon replaced the graffiti and urban sprawl, stretching in rectangles of straw-gold and damp green. —Vic O'Sullivan, Travel + Leisure, 4 Mar. 2026

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"