as in oval
a shape that resembles a flattened circle
The teacher drew an ellipse on the chalkboard that intended to illustrate the moon's orbit around the Earth.
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Recent Examples of ellipse
These can be defined mathematically, with the key factor being the eccentricity: how much the ellipse deviates form a circle.
—
Phil Plait, Scientific American, 25 July 2025
The Oakley Ellipse 50th Anniversary pair, designed to reflect the ellipse of the Oakley logo, retains the brand's futurist aesthetic with the lens shape and curve, known at Oakley as the PhysioMorphic Geometry.
—Cassell Ferere, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
The moon’s orbital path around Earth is a slight ellipse, so there’s a near-point (perigee) and a far-point (apogee) every month.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 13 Oct. 2024
The above pic shows how the landing target for the rover, also known as Curiosity, has been changed: from an ellipse 20 kilometers by 25 kilometers, the new target is just 7 kilometers by 20 kilometers.
—IEEE Spectrum, 12 June 2012
See All Example Sentences for ellipse
Phil Plait, Scientific American, 25 July 2025
The Oakley Ellipse 50th Anniversary pair, designed to reflect the ellipse of the Oakley logo, retains the brand's futurist aesthetic with the lens shape and curve, known at Oakley as the PhysioMorphic Geometry.
—Cassell Ferere, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
The moon’s orbital path around Earth is a slight ellipse, so there’s a near-point (perigee) and a far-point (apogee) every month.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 13 Oct. 2024
The above pic shows how the landing target for the rover, also known as Curiosity, has been changed: from an ellipse 20 kilometers by 25 kilometers, the new target is just 7 kilometers by 20 kilometers.
—IEEE Spectrum, 12 June 2012
See All Example Sentences for ellipse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ellipse
Noun
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The dark basaltic plain of Mare Crisium (the Sea of Crisis) can be seen as a small oval at the top of the sunlit portion, with Mare Fecunditatis (the Sea of Fertility) below, marking regions where liquid lava once flooded the lunar surface.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
3 Mar. 2026
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Her signature oval sunglasses, a luxury style purchased from New York City's Selima Optique, may not be in everyone's budget, but a similar styles from SOJOS and Freyrs offer top-notch protection for well under $100.—
Kelsey Legg,
ABC News,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The perfect storm for mosquito breeding Mosquitoes need standing water to lay their eggs.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Feb. 2026
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Sugar, butter, eggs, and your choice of thickening agent (flour or cornmeal or a combo of both), come together to make a luscious custard filling that will please even the pickiest of pie eaters.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The presence of anorthosite on the moon suggested that the entire orb was once a magma ocean, or completely molten.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
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The orb-weaving spider gets the gold.—
Sheryl DeVore,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ellipse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ellipse. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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