atlas
noun
a bound collection of maps.
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Atlamu.
atlas
1 American
[at-luhs]
/ ˈæt ləs /
noun
-
atlases,
plural
-
atlantes
plural
-
a bound collection of maps.
-
a bound volume of charts, plates, or tables illustrating any subject.
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Anatomy. the first cervical vertebra, which supports the head.
-
a size of drawing or writing paper, 26 × 34 or 33 inches.
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Also called telamon. Architecture. a sculptural figure of a man used as a column.
Atlas
2
American
[at-luhs]
/ ˈæt ləs /
noun
-
Atlases
plural
-
Classical Mythology. a Titan, son of Iapetus and brother of Prometheus and Epimetheus, condemned to support the sky on his shoulders: identified by the ancients with the Atlas Mountains.
-
a person who supports a heavy burden; a mainstay.
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Charles Angelo Siciliano, 1894–1972, U.S. body-building advocate, born in Italy.
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a liquid-propellant booster rocket, originally developed as the first U.S. ICBM, used with Agena or Centaur upper stages to launch satellites into orbit around the earth and send probes to the moon and planets; also used to launch the Mercury spacecraft into orbit around the earth.
atlas
1
British
/ ˈætləs /
noun
-
a collection of maps, usually in book form
-
a book of charts, graphs, etc, illustrating aspects of a subject
an anatomical atlas
-
anatomy the first cervical vertebra, attached to and supporting the skull in man Compare axis 1
-
architect another name for telamon
-
a standard size of drawing paper, 26 × 17 inches
Atlas
2
British
/ ˈætləs /
noun
-
Greek myth a Titan compelled to support the sky on his shoulders as punishment for rebelling against Zeus
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a US intercontinental ballistic missile, also used in launching spacecraft
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astronomy a small satellite of Saturn, discovered in 1980
Atlas
1
Cultural
atlas
2
Cultural
Discover More
An “Atlas” or “atlas” is an incredibly strong person or one who carries an enormous burden.
Since the sixteenth century, pictures of Atlas and his burden have been used as decorations on maps. Accordingly, the word atlas is used for a book of maps.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of atlas
1580–90 in sense “prop, support”; as name for a collection of maps, said to be from illustrations of Atlas supporting the globe in early books of this kind
Explanation
Can’t remember which countries border Uzbekistan? Consult an atlas, a book of maps, and you’ll find the information you need. An atlas gets its name from the Greek god Atlas, who, according to myth, was forced to bear the weight of the heavens on his shoulders. You might feel like Atlas if you have to carry one of these books around. Atlases are usually large, oversized books that contain maps, diagrams, and information such as population figures. Traditionally, atlas refers specifically to a bound book of maps rather than to a folding map, a globe, or an online database.
Vocabulary lists containing atlas
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The atlas is now valued at £20,000, but he told the court the "cultural loss far outweighs the financial loss".
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
The court heard West, from Chingford in east London, had viewed the atlas on 19 and 20 December 2024 and again on the day before the theft.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
The resulting atlas revealed 539 chemically distinct territories, which the researchers named "lipizones."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
New technology allowed us to find and catalog such networks—to construct an atlas of the mind.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
“Think, Penny! An atlas would come in useful. Some money, too. And food,” she realized, for she was terribly hungry, and the closer she got to town, the more her mouth began to water.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
The recent sale or the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, was valued at $600 million by hotel industry analyst and broker Alan Reay, president of Atlas Hospitality, based on recent appraisals and comparable sales of other resorts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026
Even the new VW Atlas has returned to physical switches.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026
The figure, an area nearly 12 times larger than London, is a conservative estimate in part because haze has complicated satellite verification, said David Gaveau, founder of deforestation monitoring site Nusantara Atlas.
From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2026
"The Atlas reveals that the brain constantly adjusts its lipids to meet the body's changing needs."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
I couldn’t see Atlas, but I could hear him groaning in the distance, still laboring under the weight of the sky, just beyond the fortress.
From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan
Even the more modest buildings have distinctive flourishes, and some are simply stand-in-the-street-and-stare astonishing, like the House of Scientists, a neo-Baroque extravaganza with a huge wooden entryway flanked by twin Atlases holding up the balcony.
From New York Times ● May 31, 2022
"Rather attractive... with Atlases supporting enormous mock columns and a rather luxurious intimacy about the atmosphere".
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2022
Could Lou or one of the other Atlases take his title?
From The Guardian ● Nov. 6, 2015
The first generations of U.S. missile sites - the Atlases and Titans - once decommissioned were often left uncovered and sold for civilian use, some stripped for scrap metal, some converted into subterranean homes.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 17, 2015
I am not Hercules enough to uphold those orbs which the Atlases of the world are so desirous of shifting from their weary shoulders.
From The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. 05 (of 12) by Edmund Burke
Histological atlases map its architecture at cellular resolution using microscopic images of tissue slices.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
His meticulous survey takes in dozens of sources, from the obscure to the well-known: pamphlets to legal codes, sermons to atlases, maps, travel narratives, even journals kept by ships’ captains.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025
Other anatomical atlases exist, but these illustrations had especially fine details, including of the nerves extending beyond the brain and spiral cord.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2024
Eventually, the team envisions uLIPSTIC as a key tool in the effort to generate comprehensive atlases describing how cells interact to form tissue -- a key to the long-awaited interactome.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 6, 2024
I knew from studying atlases as a kid that Cymru meant Wales.
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
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