arching

verb

present participle of arch
1
as in bending
to cause to turn away from a straight line the cat arched her back whenever she was stroked

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in curving
to turn away from a straight line or course the path gradually arches off into the woods

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of arching Keeping your thighs aligned, bend one knee and bring your heel toward your buttocks without arching your back. — Rikkilynn Shields Hannigan, HEALTH, 13 Aug. 2026 The combination of a moonless sky and the Milky Way arching overhead could make this the standout night for skywatching all year. — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026 The name comes from the footlong, fluffy white flower clusters at the ends of arching stems. — Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 25 July 2026 Iris van Herpen incorporated plasma into her final look, Helix Nebula, through two glass tubes arching around the shoulders of the dress. — Laure Guilbault, Vogue, 10 July 2026 Pay Attention to Plant Form Plants come in a wide range of shapes, from arching to columnar to spreading. — Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 June 2026 Lower back discomfort or tightness might be due to arching of your back, or your back muscles tacking on too much of the work to overcompensate for a lack of hip strength or control. — Christa Sgobba, Health, 16 June 2026 Its branches have a gentle, arching form. — Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 12 June 2026 Quick hitters Quarterback Lamar Jackson delivered the play of the day by rolling to his right and firing a high-arching pass about 50 yards downfield that dropped in the hands of rookie wide receiver Elijah Sarratt, who was well covered by cornerback Marquise Robinson. — Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 9 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arching
  1. bending
  2. curving
  3. hooking
  4. bowing
Verb
  • In both the Midnight Screenings and Kinoscope, there are a lot of new voices in cinema, a lot of genre-bending stuff.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2026
  • And while the film's ending ultimately requires some logic-bending buy-in, the journey to get there is equal parts thrilling, fun, emotional, and ferocious.
    — Megan McCluskey, Time, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of bending
Verb
  • Its bright red star Antares marks the heart of the scorpion, with a curving tail extending downward toward the horizon.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Similar to other colubrids, this species possesses a Duvernoy’s gland—a venom gland located behind the eyes and connected by a tube to grooved, backward-curving teeth at the back of the upper jaw.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of curving
Verb
  • The toys have cross-generational appeal, as well, hooking kids, teens, adults and the collector market.
    — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Gamers have been hooking these things up to old SSDs and installing Linux on them, and the performance is pretty solid.
    — Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of hooking
Verb
  • At Night will have a North American premiere in Toronto after bowing in Locarno.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Dharmendra Pradhan announced his resignation on Saturday, bowing to mounting pressure after tens of thousands of students and supporters took to the streets demanding his removal and sweeping reforms to India’s examination system.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 25 July 2026
Definition of bowing

Browse Nearby Words

archfoes
arching
architect
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Arching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arching. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on arching

Nglish: Translation of arching for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of divulge

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All