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

Its vertical drop of more than 4,425 feet—1,400 feet more than Vail and more than 700 feet greater than Park City—is somewhat more telling. — Alex Bhattacharji, Condé Nast Traveler, "Why Telluride Keeps Being Named the Best U.S. Ski Town," 5 Dec. 2018 According to Bloomberg, Samsung might still not ready to fully show off its folding phone, with vertical and landscape prototypes both in the running for final approval. — Michael Simon, PCWorld, "Unless Samsung is trolling us, a folding Galaxy phone is finally coming this week," 5 Nov. 2018 Burpees primarily target your core, shoulders, and upper back, and the vertical and horizontal jumping motions also sneakily work your glutes, hamstrings, and quads. — Jenny Mccoy, SELF, "Kate Upton’s Trainer Isn’t a Fan of Burpees—Here's Why the Move Is So Controversial," 27 Mar. 2018 There are detectors that look for horizontal or vertical lines, gradients from light to dark, checkerboard patterns, and many other shapes. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "How computers got shockingly good at recognizing images," 18 Dec. 2018 The 336-room hotel had to be anchored to the quarry’s vertical wall. — Liz Stinson, Curbed, "Shanghai luxury hotel is built inside an abandoned quarry," 5 Dec. 2018 These frequently take the form of horizontal and vertical shadows, as well as barred windows, trees and architecture, and occasionally literal bars. — Aja Romano, Vox, "Why Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Conformist still resonates today," 3 Dec. 2018 Instead of a simple horizontal or vertical array in the center or the corner like every other phone does, Huawei turned its triple-camera array into a square called the Matrix, with the flash occupying the upper right corner. — Michael Simon, PCWorld, "Huawei Mate 20 Mate 20 Pro hands on: Enter the Matrix with the do-it-all Android phones," 16 Oct. 2018 Purple and pink eye shadow in mod shapes became my thing after seeing the fall 2018 collection, and vertical lines down the center of my eyes were my go-to look after the spring/summer 2018 one. — Devon Abelman, Allure, "Pat McGrath Made Holographic No-Makeup Makeup Happen at the Anna Sui Spring 2019 Show," 11 Sep. 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

8 Jan 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