rectangle

noun

rect·​an·​gle ˈrek-ˌtaŋ-gəl How to pronounce rectangle (audio)
Synonyms of rectanglenext
: 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
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.
Twenty-players and a ball on a rectangle of grass; put the ball in the other team’s goal; don’t use your hands. Leander Schaerlaeckens june 8, Literary Hub, 8 June 2026 So ignore the full outline and focus instead on the Keystone — a neat, four-star rectangle high in the southeastern sky on June evenings. Jamie Carter, Space.com, 6 June 2026 Top each rectangle with a lemony cream cheese filling and a spoonful of blueberries stirred into blueberry preserves, then bake until golden. Maggie Meyer Glisan, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 June 2026 The current Range Rover doesn’t make any trade, though; Land Rover simply wiped that rectangle of center-stack real estate clean and put absolutely nothing there. Adam Ismail, The Drive, 3 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for rectangle

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of rectangle was circa 1560

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rectangle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rectangle. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.

Kids Definition

rectangle

noun
rect·​an·​gle ˈrek-ˌtaŋ-gəl How to pronounce rectangle (audio)
: 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"

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