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
That orbit in general is an ellipse, an oval shape.
—
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
-
This region, known as the auroral oval, spans from roughly 60 to 70 degrees north and south latitudes.—
Stephanie Vermillion,
Outside,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The bangs are all cut to honor her curl patterns, and the short, symmetrical layers add angles that complement her oval face shape.—
Krista Carter,
InStyle,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The brown trout were very healthy and ejected eggs all over the boat.—
Bryan Hendricks,
Arkansas Online,
25 Jan. 2026
-
The chains are seeing an increase in milk, eggs, bread, broth, coffee, cereal, chicken, ground beef, soft drinks, bottled water, salty snacks, other nonperishable foods, frozen pizza and firewood.—
Fousia Abdullahi,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Myths like the Paulding Light, a mysterious glowing orb that hovers over the train tracks just across the border.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Revel in the rare winter sunshine by scuba diving, cycling, or celebrating the setting orange orb on Mallory Square.—
Stephanie Vermillion,
Outside,
4 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ellipse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ellipse. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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