vertical

adjective

ver·ti·cal | \ ˈvər-ti-kəl

Definition of vertical

1a : perpendicular to the plane of the horizon or to a primary axis : upright

b(1) : located at right angles to the plane of a supporting surface

(2) : lying in the direction of an axis : lengthwise

2a : situated at the highest point : directly overhead or in the zenith

b of an aerial photograph : taken with the camera pointing straight down or nearly so

3a : relating to, involving, or integrating economic activity from basic production to point of sale a vertical monopoly

b : of, relating to, or comprising persons of different status the vertical arrangement of society

4 medical : relating to or being transmission (as of a disease) by genetic inheritance or by a congenital or perinatal route vertical inheritance … decreasing the rate of vertical transmission of HIV to the fetus by two-thirds, so that the numbers of children with the condition are diminishing.— Cynthia B. Cohen — compare horizontal sense 3

Other Words from vertical Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about vertical

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Other Words from vertical

vertical noun

verticality \ ˌvər-tə-ˈka-lə-tē

\ noun

vertically \ ˈvər-ti-k(ə-)lē

\ adverb

verticalness \ ˈvər-ti-kəl-nəs

\ noun

Choose the Right Synonym for vertical

vertical, perpendicular, plumb mean being at right angles to a base line. vertical suggests a line or direction rising straight upward toward a zenith. the side of the cliff is almost vertical perpendicular may stress the straightness of a line making a right angle with any other line, not necessarily a horizontal one. the parallel bars are perpendicular to the support posts plumb stresses an exact verticality determined (as with a plumb line) by earth's gravity. make sure that the wall is plumb

Examples of vertical in a Sentence

a shirt with vertical stripes the vertical axis of a graph

Recent Examples on the Web

Use buttercream to attach a pink Necco wafer or a small circle of pink fruit chew for the snout, then pipe small brown buttercream vertical lines for nostrils. — Woman's Day Kitchen, Woman's Day, "Spring Animal Cupcakes," 7 Mar. 2019 On January 10, Musk tweeted a photograph of a test version of Starship—essentially a prototype that can be used for suborbital VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) test flights, reaching around 16,400 feet. — Ryan D'agostino, Popular Mechanics, "Elon Musk: Why I'm Building the Starship out of Stainless Steel," 22 Jan. 2019 Both the Lagonda Vision Concept electric car and Volante Vision Concept, an Aston Martin vertical takeoff and landing concept, was shown on a lit stage. — Tamara Warren, The Verge, "Monterey Car Week is where the past and future of automobiles collide," 29 Aug. 2018 On January 31 Airbus’s Vahana single-person electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft flew about five meters above a test site in Pendleton, Ore. — Larry Greenemeier, Scientific American, "Here's What's Needed for Self-Flying Taxis and Delivery Drones to Really Take Off," 15 May 2018 The Wasp is capable of carrying F-35B stealth fighter jets, which can make vertical takeoffs and landings. — Washington Post, "Ahead of summits, US tones down its war games with S. Korea," 23 Apr. 2018 The ride-sharing company plans to launch vertical takeoff and landing, or VTOL, vehicles in Los Angeles and Dallas in the next five years. — Rob Wile, miamiherald, "Flying cars? One day, they could be landing at this downtown highrise | Miami Herald," 9 Apr. 2018 The company has landed exclusive deals for vertical takeoff and landing spots with real estate companies, including in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. — Daisuke Wakabayashi, New York Times, "Flying Taxis May Be Years Away, but the Groundwork Is Accelerating," 27 Feb. 2018 Lilium Based in Munich, Germany, Lilium is developing the world’s first electric vertical takeoff and landing jet. — Ryan Olbrysh, Car and Driver, "Driving the Sky: Flying Cars Are Back, But They're Still a Long Shot," 14 Feb. 2018

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

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Dictionary Entries near vertical

vertical blanking interval

Statistics for vertical

Last Updated

19 Mar 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for vertical

The first known use of vertical was in 1559

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More Definitions for vertical

vertical

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of vertical

: positioned up and down rather than from side to side : going straight up

: having a structure in which there are top, middle, and bottom levels

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

vertical

adjective

ver·ti·cal | \ ˈvər-ti-kəl

Kids Definition of vertical

(Entry 1 of 2)

: rising straight up and down from a level surface

vertical

noun

Kids Definition of vertical (Entry 2 of 2)

: something (as a line or plane) that rises straight up and down

vertical

adjective

ver·ti·cal | \ ˈvərt-i-kəl

Medical Definition of vertical

: relating to or being transmission (as of a disease) by genetic inheritance or by a congenital or perinatal route vertical transmission of the hepatitis B virus from mother to infant vertical inheritance — compare horizontal sense 2