aspect ratio

American  

[as-pekt ray-shoh, ray-shee-oh] / ˈæs pɛkt ˌreɪ ʃoʊ, ˌreɪ ˌʃi oʊ /

noun

1. Aeronautics. the ratio of the span of an airfoil to its mean chord.

2. Digital Technology, Television. the ratio of the width of an image to its height, usually a standard ratio such as 16 to 9 or 4 to 3.

3. Naval Architecture. the ratio of the height of a rudder to its fore-and-aft length.

4. Rocketry.

   1. Also called fineness ratio, slenderness ratio. the ratio of the mean diameter of the body of a rocket or missile to its length.

   2. the ratio of the length of the combustion chamber of a rocket motor to its diameter.

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aspect ratio British  

noun

1. the ratio of width to height of the picture on a television or cinema screen

2. aeronautics the ratio of the span of a wing to its mean chord

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Etymology

Origin of aspect ratio

First recorded in 1905–10

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

aspect ratio

The main screen is also a 4:3 aspect ratio.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

Measuring 4.5 millimetres thick when unfolded, it features a 7.6-inch, 4:3 aspect ratio screen optimised for video viewing.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

Ahead of “Sinners’” release, Coogler encouraged audiences to see the film in its intended format, on Imax 70mm screens in 1.43:1 aspect ratio.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2025

In aspect ratio phase trapping, defects, as well as the undesirable hexagonal phase, are "trapped" inside the grooves so that the surface of the active layer is a perfect cubic-phase material.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 23, 2024

The aspect ratio of the planes was six to one, instead of about three to one, as in their second glider.

From The War in the Air; Vol. 1 The Part played in the Great War by the Royal Air Force by Sir Walter Alexander Raleigh

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