horizontal

American  

[hawr-uh-zon-tl, hor-] / ˌhɔr əˈzɒn tl, ˌhɒr- /

adjective

1. at right angles to the vertical; parallel to level ground.

2. flat or level.

   a horizontal position.

3. being in a prone or supine position; recumbent.

   His bad back has kept him horizontal for a week.

4. near, on, or parallel to the horizon.

5. of or relating to the horizon.

6. measured or contained in a plane parallel to the horizon.

   a horizontal distance.

7. (of material on a printed page, pieces on a game board, etc.) extending across, from the left to the right of the viewer.

8. of or relating to a position or individual of similar status.

   He received a horizontal promotion to a different department, retaining his old salary and title.

9. Economics. of or relating to companies, affiliates, divisions, etc., that perform the same or similar functions or produce the same or similar products.

   Through horizontal mergers the company monopolized its field.

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noun

1. anything horizontal, as a plane, direction, or object.

horizontal British  

/ ˌhɒrɪˈzɒntəl /

adjective

1. parallel to the plane of the horizon; level; flat Compare vertical

2. of or relating to the horizon

3. measured or contained in a plane parallel to that of the horizon

4. applied uniformly or equally to all members of a group

5. economics relating to identical stages of commercial activity

   horizontal integration

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noun

1. a horizontal plane, position, line, etc

Other Word Forms

• horizontality noun
• horizontally adverb
• horizontalness noun
• subhorizontal adjective
• subhorizontally adverb
• subhorizontalness noun
• unhorizontal adjective
• unhorizontally adverb

Etymology

Origin of horizontal

1545–55; < Latin horizont- (stem of horizōn ) horizon + -al ¹

Example Sentences

Vertical divisions became far less common, while horizontal and angled divisions dominated.

From Science Daily

He wrote that this transaction would “constitute a major vertical and horizontal consolidation in a sector that is already marked by limited competition.”

From Barron's

The horizontal city is just too big to fully gentrify; there was always another neighborhood where an artist could find studio space, or a gallery could open up shop.

From Los Angeles Times

Blocky “Wall of Light” paintings and stacked horizontal “Landline” works, made in the 2000s, traced the continuity and development of ideas first proposed in Montauk.

From The Wall Street Journal

A shallow film of green water surrounds me, like I’m horizontal in a pool that’s only a few inches deep.

From Literature