globe

American  

[glohb] / gloʊb /

noun

1. Usually the globe the planet Earth.

2. a planet or other celestial body.

3. a sphere on which is depicted a map of the earth terrestrial globe or of the heavens celestial globe.

4. a spherical body; sphere.

5. anything more or less spherical, as a lampshade or a glass fishbowl.

6. a golden ball traditionally borne as an emblem of sovereignty; orb.

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verb (used with object)

globed, globing

1. to form into a globe.

verb (used without object)

globed, globing

1. to take the form of a globe.

globe British  

/ ɡləʊb /

noun

1. a sphere on which a map of the world or the heavens is drawn or represented

2. the world; the earth

3. a planet or some other astronomical body

4. an object shaped like a sphere, such as a glass lampshade or fish-bowl

5. an electric light bulb

6. an orb, usually of gold, symbolic of authority or sovereignty

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verb

1. to form or cause to form into a globe

Usage

What does globe mean? The word globe most generally refers to a sphere—a ball-like shape or object. Something globe-shaped can be described as globular, which means the same thing as spherical. More specifically, a globe is a three-dimensional model of Earth. (There are also globes representing the moon and other planets, but globes of Earth are most common.) These kinds of globes are associated with their use in classrooms for the subject of geography. The phrase the globe is another way of saying the world or the planet in reference to Earth, as in His name was known in almost every corner of the globe. Example: I started my travels around the globe by spinning a globe and pointing to a random destination.

Synonym Usage

See earth.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• globelike
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of globe

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Middle French globe, from Latin globus “round body, ball, sphere”

Explanation

A globe doesn't have to be a spherical representation of our planet; it can be anything shaped like one — like a soccer ball or a gumball. Referring to a round shape, globe is often used interchangeably with sphere, though sphere has another meaning of an area of particular interest or a segment of a particular population. Globe is also another name for planet Earth itself, our lovely third rock from the sun — as in "viewers are tuning in from around the globe."

Example Sentences

According to a new study, some of the substances that replaced ozone damaging chemicals are now responsible for spreading large amounts of a persistent "forever chemical" across the globe.

From Science Daily • Jun. 9, 2026

To the outside world, Xi Jinping appears invincible, with leaders from across the globe jetting to China one after another.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

The film moves beyond the climate crisis to the increase in climate refugees, which Fox underscores by starting with Americans, including victims of the Paradise blaze, before journeying around the globe.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026

That’s sent tremors across the globe, with the very tech-heavy Kospi index in South Korea shedding 8.1% on Monday.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026

An immediate consequence, therefore, which is the subject of Chapter 4, was a radical transformation in the understanding of how the Earth is constructed: the emergence of the concept of the terraqueous globe.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• map
• planet
• world