as in curves
something that curves or is curved
the stars seemed to align themselves into one vast glittering arc
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in sweeps
to turn away from a straight line or course
the ball arced toward the batter and nearly hit him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of arcs
Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2026
Right now, Maas is focused on finishing four overlapping arcs of ACOTAR.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 5 Mar. 2026
Romantic pairings on Love Is Blind have their own character arcs.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 27 Feb. 2026
There are even redemption arcs, like that of Shane, the town alcoholic who turns around his bottom-of-a-bottle fortunes with a love for raising chickens.
—Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 26 Feb. 2026
With two major character arcs on deck and several unresolved threads — Violet’s journey, the new Whistledown and the evolving bond between Francesca and Michaela — the Bridgerton universe has plenty of story left to tell.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2026
As a principal investigator on NASA’s Hubble space telescope and NASA’s Spitzer space telescope, one of his foremost interests was the lambent of arcs of streaking stars called stellar streams that swirl around the outskirts of the Milky Way.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 26 Feb. 2026
With two major character arcs on deck and unresolved threads — Violet’s journey, the new Whistledown and the evolving bond between Francesca and Michaela — the Bridgerton universe has plenty of story left to tell.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 26 Feb. 2026
But the southpaw won the 2024 Cy Young Award, completing one of baseball’s best comeback arcs.
—Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 24 Feb. 2026
Liam Tharme, New York Times, 12 Dec. 2025
Richard Gabriel Moritz | Unsplash Many readers will know this coastline—which arcs its way from the French border in the west to Tuscany in the east, via the ancient port city of Genoa—for the five absurdly picturesque villages of the Cinque Terre.
—Spencer Elliott, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Noun
Like arcs aren’t like wrapped up.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2026
Right now, Maas is focused on finishing four overlapping arcs of ACOTAR.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 5 Mar. 2026
Romantic pairings on Love Is Blind have their own character arcs.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 27 Feb. 2026
There are even redemption arcs, like that of Shane, the town alcoholic who turns around his bottom-of-a-bottle fortunes with a love for raising chickens.
—Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 26 Feb. 2026
With two major character arcs on deck and several unresolved threads — Violet’s journey, the new Whistledown and the evolving bond between Francesca and Michaela — the Bridgerton universe has plenty of story left to tell.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2026
As a principal investigator on NASA’s Hubble space telescope and NASA’s Spitzer space telescope, one of his foremost interests was the lambent of arcs of streaking stars called stellar streams that swirl around the outskirts of the Milky Way.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 26 Feb. 2026
With two major character arcs on deck and unresolved threads — Violet’s journey, the new Whistledown and the evolving bond between Francesca and Michaela — the Bridgerton universe has plenty of story left to tell.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 26 Feb. 2026
But the southpaw won the 2024 Cy Young Award, completing one of baseball’s best comeback arcs.
—Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 24 Feb. 2026
Verb
Salah arcs his run to shut off the pass from centre-back Josko Gvardiol to left-back Nico O’Reilly.
—Liam Tharme, New York Times, 12 Dec. 2025
Richard Gabriel Moritz | Unsplash Many readers will know this coastline—which arcs its way from the French border in the west to Tuscany in the east, via the ancient port city of Genoa—for the five absurdly picturesque villages of the Cinque Terre.
—Spencer Elliott, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arcs
Noun
-
Don’t sleep on the dreamy lobby, perched high above the sea and featuring undulating wooden partitions that resemble the curves of coral reefs.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Mar. 2026
-
This Madewell pair is made from high-quality denim with a subtle stretch to hug your curves and ensure all-day comfort.—
Jordan Julian,
InStyle,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Its outstanding appeal, grandish curvatures and extraordinary interior design are just the norm for the upscale interior brand.—
Marc D. Grasso,
Boston Herald,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Posture Changes Spine curvatures can make standing up straight difficult, causing lower right back pain.—
Brandi Jones,
Health,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
There, biological imaging specialist Thomas van de Kamp oversaw the operation, as intense X-ray beams swept through each specimen and high-speed detectors recorded thousands of projection images from multiple angles.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Video from multiple angles showed that Pretti did not try to draw his gun from his waistband before or during the scuffle with federal agents.—
Luke Barr,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Crafted into undone bends, the style disguises flyaways and limp ends.—
Fiona Embleton,
Glamour,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Navigating the subtle bends of the lake behind Englebright Dam, the vessel chugged across the otherwise still water, the late afternoon sun shimmering across the ripples in its wake.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Snow piles grew even faster where strong winds had swept the powder over ridgelines and deposited it on north-facing slopes.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Tornadoes are possible in the afternoon and evening, and large hail and strong winds may come in the evening and stay overnight.—
Madeline King,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Arcs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arcs. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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