atlas
noun
a bound collection of maps.
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.
-
Anatomy. the first cervical vertebra, which supports the head.
-
a size of drawing or writing paper, 26 × 34 or 33 inches.
-
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.
-
Charles Angelo Siciliano, 1894–1972, U.S. body-building advocate, born in Italy.
-
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
-
a US intercontinental ballistic missile, also used in launching spacecraft
-
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:
Beyond identifying the brain's chemical structure, the atlas offered new insight into how that structure changes during pregnancy.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
The atlas also establishes a detailed reference for healthy mouse brain tissue.
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
“Just as an atlas is a collection of maps, linking together features of the land like altitude and location, AlphaGenome Atlas charts the molecular effects of DNA variants across the genome.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
During this time, I also spent many minutes examining the road atlas, and perusing also the relevant volumes of Mrs Jane Symons's The Wonder of England.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
They analyzed information from the Cancer Genome Atlas, a large collection of detailed data from thousands of cancer patient samples.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026
"The Atlas reveals that the brain constantly adjusts its lipids to meet the body's changing needs."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
The Nusantara Atlas project, which uses satellite monitoring, estimated nearly 896,000 hectares -- over five times the size of Greater London -- had burned by the end of August.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
Atlas was eventually diagnosed only months before starting school.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
She’d never been to the Smithsonian with Percy....Then she recalled several years ago, when the Titan Atlas had captured her.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
"Rather attractive... with Atlases supporting enormous mock columns and a rather luxurious intimacy about the atmosphere".
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2022
Atop massive half-columns, 38 Atlases, each 25 feet tall and carved from limestone, seemingly held up the architrave — the main beam that rests on the capitals of columns — with their bent arms.
From New York Times ● Oct. 5, 2020
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
They are the Atlases upon whose broad and mighty shoulders rests the grand fabric of civilization; they are the men who have broken, and are still breaking, the chains of superstition.
From Lectures of Col. R. G. Ingersoll, Volume I Including His Answers to the Clergy, His Oration at His Brother's Grave, Etc., Etc. by Robert Green Ingersoll
Histological atlases map its architecture at cellular resolution using microscopic images of tissue slices.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
They hold thousands of maps and atlases of everything from cave networks to mountain ranges to capital flows to the surface of the moon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 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
"With single-cell atlases, you take an entire organism and you literally split it into its individual cells. And then you look at gene expression in each cell separately," she said.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 15, 2024
Hal arrives with an overstuffed portfolio of maps torn from atlases and pilfered from AAA.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
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