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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In the filing, Boche describes the holding facility as having two dozen desks arranged in an oval, each with a phone.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2026
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Slow cookers are bulky, unattractive in their signature oval way and require a lot of thinking ahead to use.—
Miguel Otárola,
Denver Post,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The Breakfasters English Muffin Breakfast Sandwich The egg patty is as thin as a bar coaster and just as flavorful in this McDonald’s-esque sausage-egg McMuff.—
Alex Beggs,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
7 Feb. 2026
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The menu features all of the classics, including omelets, breakfast burritos, pancakes, and steak and eggs.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The paved trail also includes an underpass that opens up to a cascade of glowing orbs, which will illuminate the path at night.—
James Taylor,
CBS News,
3 Feb. 2026
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Adding further depth to the dial is a 12-hour split in rose gold and blue markings for day and night, as well as a polished, planet-like orb indicating the 24-hour scale of the second time zone.—
Thor Svaboe,
Robb Report,
2 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ellipse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ellipse. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.
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