angle

1 of 4

noun (1)

an·​gle ˈaŋ-gəl 

1

: a corner whether constituting a projecting part or a partially enclosed space

They sheltered in an angle of the building.

2

a

: the figure formed by two lines extending from the same point

also : dihedral angle

b

: a measure of an angle or of the amount of turning necessary to bring one line or plane into coincidence with or parallel to another

3

a

: the direction from which someone or something is approached

soldiers being attacked from every angle

a football player trying to get an angle on an opponent [=approach an opponent from an effective angle]

b

: the precise viewpoint from which something is observed or considered

a camera angle

consider the question from all angles

also : the aspect seen from such an angle

discuss all angles of the question

c(1)

: a special approach, point of attack, or technique for accomplishing an objective

try a new angle

(2)

: an often improper or illicit method of obtaining advantage

a salesman always looking for an angle

4

: a sharply divergent course

The road went off at an angle.

angled

ˈaŋ-gəld 

adjective

angle

2 of 4

verb (1)

angled; angling ˈaŋ-g(ə-)liŋ 

intransitive verb

: to turn or proceed at an angle

The road angles up the hill.

transitive verb

1

: to turn, move, or direct at an angle

slipped the key in and angled it to one side

2

: to present (something, such as a news story) from a particular or prejudiced point of view : slant

angled stories toward the newspaper's political preferences

angle

3 of 4

verb (2)

angled; angling

intransitive verb

1

: to fish with a hook

2

: to use artful means to attain an objective

angled for an invitation

Angle

4 of 4

noun (2)

An·​gle ˈaŋ-gəl 

: a member of a Germanic people that invaded England along with the Saxons and Jutes in the fifth century a.d. and merged with them to form the Anglo-Saxon peoples

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• aspect
• facet
• hand
• phase
• side

Verb (1)

• cant
• cock
• heel
• incline
• lean
• list
• pitch
• slant
• slope
• tilt
• tip

Examples of angle in a Sentence

Noun (1)

The lines are at sharp angles to each other.

Critics love the clever camera angles the director used in the film.

She took pictures of the same scene from several different angles.

The soldiers were being attacked from every angle.

We need to approach the problem from a new angle.

They considered the question from all angles.

The reporter tried to work that angle into his story.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

These controls give the operator the ability to adjust the angle, pressure and spacing of its plows. —Jacob Spetzler, The Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2024

North made sure to capture her mom’s dress from all angles, including the open back, which is seen in the second photo. —Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024

Check out the new 2025 Toyota 4Runner from every single angle At long last, there's an actually new sixth-generation 4Runner Start Slideshow Toyota has been teasing us with little snippets of the sixth-generation 4Runner for weeks now, and this week it finally got unveiled. —Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik, Quartz, 12 Apr. 2024

To add two numbers, imagine drawing arrows from the center of the pizza to the numbers in question, then calculating the line that bisects the angle formed by the first two arrows. —Anil Ananthaswamy, Quanta Magazine, 12 Apr. 2024

Each would also track its own position relative to the neighbors and its angle to the sun. —IEEE Spectrum, 11 Apr. 2024

Hotel Forty Five is named for the angle at which the art deco building sits at its cross streets. —Caroline Eubanks, Travel + Leisure, 11 Apr. 2024

Beneath the grille, a front-facing tweeter and woofer sit at a 15-degree angle to deliver mono audio. —PCMAG, 11 Apr. 2024

Saleh also suggests standing on an angle to add dimension to your photo. —Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 10 Apr. 2024

Verb

This allowed Mackenzie to take more chances, cut some camera angles closer and create a completely fresh take on how the world sees surfing. —Leo Barraclough, Variety, 10 Apr. 2024

On that day, though, the camera was instead angled skyward as the asteroid-sized Phobos passed overhead. —Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024

Goth’s character, Maxine, has reinvented herself as Maxine Minx, and is angling to make the jump from adult films to horror, and then finally, to total Hollywood stardom and domination. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 8 Apr. 2024

Each is angled away from the aisle with a fully closing door for more privacy. —Rachel Dube, Robb Report, 3 Apr. 2024

The spectacular top floor is angled to parallel the Parthenon, which is visible through vast picture windows. —Tony Perrottet, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Mar. 2024

The owner of the Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals has been angling to vacate the city’s Capital One Arena and move the teams to Virginia, potentially dealing another blow to a downtown already struggling with closures of restaurants and retail stores. —Alan Rappeport, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024

And some gang leaders do seem to be angling for a role in politics. —Amy Wilentz, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2024

Rombach, who led the team, had been angling to leave for months, two sources said, first threatening to resign last summer because of the fundraising failures. —Kenrick Cai, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024

Verb

Especially at their quirky ballpark, which has restricted real estate down the line in right, not just with the limited foul territory but with the corner angled in, just 309 feet from the plate. —John Shea, San Francisco Chronicle, 7 Apr. 2023

This is the gold standard, holy grail, I'll-think-about-it-constantly version of a black circle skirt, with ample volume and angled pockets for nonchalantly slipping your hands in. —Halie Lesavage, harpersbazaar.com, 7 Apr. 2023

Each person with a 2023 angling license was allowed 10 pounds. —The Oregonian, oregonlive, 30 Mar. 2023

The sides are angled up and away from the skillet and the edges are flared and rolled down. —Rennie Dyball, Peoplemag, 29 Mar. 2023

For optimum air circulation throughout a small- or medium-size room, our experts recommend angling the head at 90 degrees. —Lynn Redmile, Good Housekeeping, 27 Mar. 2023

As many as 46 bidders were angling Tuesday to buy a blue and red Credit Suisse ski hat, priced at 111 Swiss francs ($120) on online Swiss marketplace Ricado.ch. —Anna Cooban, CNN, 21 Mar. 2023

Berger sat angled slightly away from Parrish with a towel draped over her head as her teammate fielded the first question. —Brian Haenchen, The Indianapolis Star, 21 Mar. 2023

Connally, angling to impress Republican nominee Ronald Reagan in hopes he’d be named secretary of state or defense, asked leaders to send word to Iran not to release hostages before Election Day. —Todd J. Gillman, Dallas News, 21 Mar. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, "corner, recess, two lines extending from the same point," borrowed from Anglo-French angle, aungle, going back to Latin angulus "two lines extending from the same point, corner, nook," going back to Indo-European *h₂eng-lo-, *h₂eng-elo-, whence also Old Church Slavic ǫgŭlŭ "corner, angle," Russian úgol, genitive uglá, Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian ȕgao, ȕgla, Armenian ankiwn, and perhaps Germanic *ankula-, *ankila- ankle

Verb (1)

Middle English anglen "to meet at an angle," derivative of angle angle entry 1

Verb (2)

Middle English anglen, derivative of angel "fishhook," going back to Old English angel, ongel, going back to Germanic *angula- "hook, barb" (whence also Old Saxon angul "fishhook," Old High German, "hook, barb," Old Norse ǫngull "fishhook"), going back to Indo-European *h₂enk-ul-ó-, derivative, perhaps diminutive, of a base *h₂enk- seen also in the n-stem noun *h₂enk-ón- (whence Old English anga "prick, goad," Old High German ango "sting, barb, door hinge," Greek ankṓn "bend, elbow"), suffixed in Greek ankýlos "bent, crooked, curved," and as an o-grade derivative in Greek ónkos "barb of an arrow," Latin uncus "curved at the extremities, hooked, a hook," and probably Sanskrit aṅkáḥ "curve, hook"; *h₂enk- perhaps attested as a primary verb in Sanskrit áñcati, ácati "(it) bends, curves"

Note: Indo-European *h₂enk- appears to be synonymous with the base *h₂eng- —see angle entry 1, ankle.

Noun (2)

Latin Angli, plural, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English Engle Angles

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Verb (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing angle

• alternate angle
• angle bracket
• angle iron
• angle of attack
• angle of depression
• angle of elevation
• angle of incidence
• angle of reflection
• angle of refraction
• angle shot
• base angle
• central angle
• critical angle
• dihedral angle
• direction angle
• exterior angle
• face angle
• get an angle on
• hour angle
• interior angle
• oblique angle
• plane angle
• polyhedral angle
• rakish angle
• right angle
• round angle
• solid angle
• spherical angle
• straight angle
• supplementary angle
• vertical angle
• wide-angle
• wide-angle lens

Kids Definition

angle

1 of 3 noun

an·​gle ˈaŋ-gəl 

1

: a sharp projecting corner

2

: the figure formed by two lines extending from the same point

3

: a measure of the amount that one line of an angle would have to be turned to be in exactly the same place as the other line

a 90-degree angle

4

: point of view, aspect

consider a problem from a new angle

5

: an often improper way of getting an advantage

a cheater looking for an angle

6

: a sharply curving course or direction

the road went off at an angle

angled

-gəld 

adjective

angle

2 of 3 verb

angled; angling -g(ə-)liŋ 

1

: to turn, move, or direct at an angle

2

: to present (as a news story) from a particular point of view : slant

angle

3 of 3 verb

angled; angling -g(ə-)liŋ 

1

: to fish with hook and line

2

: to try to get what one wants in a sly way

angling for a promotion

Etymology

Noun

Middle English angle "corner," from early French angle (same meaning), from Latin angulus "angle"

Verb

derived from Old English angel "fishhook," from anga "hook"

Medical Definition

angle

noun

an·​gle ˈaŋ-gəl 

1

: a corner whether constituting a projecting part or a partially enclosed space

2

a

: the figure formed by two lines extending from the same point

b

: a measure of an angle or of the amount of turning necessary to bring one line or plane into coincidence with or parallel to another

angled

-gəld 

adjective