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

No one can know for certain—the scientists who graph temperatures keep having to lengthen the y-axis. — Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2026

The string will now form a straight line that intersects the y-axis at 12—giving the answer of 3 × 4 = 12. — Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 18 Aug. 2026

One way to represent a complex number like a + ib is as a point on a plane, where a is the position on the x-axis (which can be thought of as the real number line) and b is the position on an imaginary y-axis. — Daniel Garisto, Quanta Magazine, 7 Nov. 2025

What is the height of the potential, or the y-axis value of the curve that describes inflation, during the final ~60 or so e-foldings of inflation? — Big Think, 22 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1875, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for y-axis

• anaphylaxis
• axis
• praxis
• taxus
• chemoprophylaxis
• chemotaxis
• epistaxis
• prophylaxis

Kids Definition

y-axis

noun

y-ax·​is

ˈwī-ˌak-səs

: the vertical axis in a plane coordinate system along which or parallel to which ordinates are measured compare x-axis