y-axis
noun
y-ax·is
ˈwī-ˌak-səs 
1
: the axis of a plane Cartesian coordinate system parallel to which ordinates are measured
2
: one of the three axes in a three-dimensional rectangular coordinate system
Examples of y-axis in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
On the y-axis: how well Democrats fared in a special election, compared with the 2020 election result.
—
The Upshot Staff, New York Times, 30 Dec. 2024
Complex numbers can be plotted on a plane, with the real part on the x-axis and the imaginary part on the y-axis.
—Jordana Cepelewicz, WIRED, 4 Aug. 2024
Both plots were sourced from the same dataset and should thus be identical—but the plot in one paper has a y-axis with a scale that is about 7,000 times larger than the other.
—Dan Garisto, Scientific American, 27 July 2023
The y-axis shows the speedup for Codon implementations over CPython implementations.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Mar. 2023
Fewer births means the percentage of the population of working age (15-64), represented here in the y-axis, climbs upward toward the rough threshold of the 65 percent necessary to potentially reap the economic benefits of the demographic dividend.
—National Geographic, 21 Mar. 2023
So the y-axis is more stable, as the shift toward females in the labor market is balanced by a higher proportion going to university.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 5 Sep. 2010
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.
The Upshot Staff, New York Times, 30 Dec. 2024
Complex numbers can be plotted on a plane, with the real part on the x-axis and the imaginary part on the y-axis.
—Jordana Cepelewicz, WIRED, 4 Aug. 2024
Both plots were sourced from the same dataset and should thus be identical—but the plot in one paper has a y-axis with a scale that is about 7,000 times larger than the other.
—Dan Garisto, Scientific American, 27 July 2023
The y-axis shows the speedup for Codon implementations over CPython implementations.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Mar. 2023
Fewer births means the percentage of the population of working age (15-64), represented here in the y-axis, climbs upward toward the rough threshold of the 65 percent necessary to potentially reap the economic benefits of the demographic dividend.
—National Geographic, 21 Mar. 2023
So the y-axis is more stable, as the shift toward females in the labor market is balanced by a higher proportion going to university.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 5 Sep. 2010
Cite this Entry
“Y-axis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/y-axis. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share