a representation, usually on a flat surface, as of the features of an area of the earth or a portion of the heavens, showing them in their respective forms, sizes, and relationships according to some convention of representation.
a map of Canada.
a maplike delineation, representation, or reflection of anything.
The old man's face is a map of time.
Mathematics. function.
Slang. the face.
Wipe that smile off that ugly map of yours.
Genetics. genetic map.
to represent or delineate on or as if on a map.
to sketch or plan (often followed byout ).
to map out a new career.
off the map, out of existence; into oblivion.
Whole cities were wiped off the map.
put on the map, to bring into the public eye; make known, famous, or prominent.
The discovery of gold put our town on the map.
a diagrammatic representation of the earth's surface or part of it, showing the geographical distributions, positions, etc, of natural or artificial features such as roads, towns, relief, rainfall, etc
a diagrammatic representation of the distribution of stars or of the surface of a celestial body
a lunar map
a maplike drawing of anything
maths another name for function
a slang word for face
no longer important or in existence (esp in the phrase wipe off the map )
to make (a town, company, etc) well-known
to make a map of
maths to represent or transform (a function, figure, set, etc) See also map out
the results were mapped onto a graph
(intr) to fit in with or correspond to
A representation of a region of three-dimensional space, such as of the Earth or a part of the universe, usually on a two-dimensional plane surface.
See also projection
See genetic map
Map, chart, graph refer to representations of surfaces, areas, or facts. Map most commonly refers to a representation of the surface of the earth or a section of it, or an area of the sky: a map of England. A chart may be an outline map with symbols conveying information superimposed on it, a map designed especially for navigators on water or in the air, a diagram, or a table giving information in an orderly form: a chart of the shoals off a coast. A graph may be a diagram representing a set of interrelated facts by means of dots or lines on a coordinate background; or it may use small figures (people, animals, machines, etc.) appropriate to the facts being represented, each figure standing for a specific number in statistics being given: a graph of the rise in population from 1900 to 1980.
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English mappe-(mounde), from Medieval Latin mappa mundī “map of the world,” special use of Latin mappa “napkin,” said to be from Punic; perhaps compare Mishnaic Hebrew mapāh “tablecloth”
A map is a diagram of a place, showing roads and highways and natural features like lakes, rivers, and mountains. When your dad stops the car, sighs, and pulls out his map, you are probably lost. As more and more people rely on electronic devices to get directions, the art of reading a map is becoming lost. A map can illustrate roads, stars in the galaxy, or even the genes in a human chromosome. When you map something, you sketch it or plan the route or steps you will take, like mapping out your future. A Latin root of map is mappa, or "napkin," as in something you'd sketch a map on.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mahady recently presented a map at a meeting of global Hermès leaders that showed bubbles of wealth across America.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
To find it you need a map, and possibly a helmet.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
"It is enabling us to create a tourism destination and put us on the world map," she said.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
On Nov. 4, 1986, the U.S. entered into political union with the Northern Mariana Islands, a tiny archipelago in the western Pacific that most Americans could not locate on a map.
From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2026
I pull the map from beneath our seat.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
There are already roughly 2,700 operational data-center facilities in the U.S., according to industry data provider Data Center Map.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
The Giant Tree Map also guided us toward exceptional concentrations of massive trees that we call 'temples of giants'.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026
Of the 224 throughout the state, 140 populate central Ohio, dotting the city center through to the edges of suburban cities like New Albany and Dublin, according to Data Center Map.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
The US is using Sky Map to protects one of its bases in the Middle East.
From BBC ● May 21, 2026
He turned to look at the Map Room.
From "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner
NIC MAP projected in August that the U.S. could face a shortage of over 575,000 senior-housing units by 2030, as the population age 80 and older grows by about one-third.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
EVs administered without the MAP scaffold failed to produce comparable blood vessel repair.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026
This year occupancy continued to rebound, climbing to 89.9% in the first quarter, according to NIC MAP, an industry data source.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
He obtained 84 votes compared to the runner up, Turkish Mustafa Serkan Sabanca, who got 60 votes, Moroccan state news agency MAP said.
From Barron's ● Nov. 27, 2025
“Yes, the MAP IN CHARLESTON,” Frank said loudly, giving Percy a wide-eyed look to make sure he hadn’t missed the information.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
Establishing responsibility is challenging because it requires authorities to share maps pinpointing fire hotspots, with overlapping land claims further complicating matters.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Mackey estimates that the 1.75GW backlog maps to about $1.9 billion in prospective revenue and $366 million in gross margins.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
For decades, however, maps of the Mississippian world generally left out peninsular Florida.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
He said Abdela had "dived into the centre of the boat and moved to another location wearing a hat" before being identified, adding that the vessel did not have flares, GPS or maps onboard.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
“And I’m going to be less blindly trusting! Seriously, if Shifa hadn’t swapped the maps, I dread to think what would have happened to you. I would have never forgiven myself.”
From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook
At the EU level, Kallas said the European Defence Agency had mapped all the "critical capabilities" that Europe was missing and that Europe needed to fill these gaps "as soon as possible".
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
The Dodgers mapped out their National League Championship Series rotation before they even started the division series: Skubal in Game 1, Yamamoto in Game 2, and the World Series on deck.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
Gym rats can check their body composition of fat and muscle, people with heart issues can get their heartbeat captured, and mole owners can get their moles mapped to 0.1 mm.
From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2026
She then mapped the evolutionary relationships among those sequences and used statistical methods to estimate the most likely genetic sequences carried by their common ancestors, extending the reconstruction back roughly 160 million years.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026
East Berliners responded creatively—some took a newfound interest in scuba diving and mapped out underwater routes to freedom.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
The transit mapping measurements also supported other previously identified characteristics of WASP-17b.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
If astronomers observe the same relationship in other clusters, particularly those from the early universe, intracluster light could become a valuable new tool for mapping dark matter across cosmic history.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
"With solar shingles, we don't really have the benefit of that mapping; there's no room underneath the shingle for the electronics."
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
The Army program aims to put cutting-edge AI, mapping and communication technology in soldiers’ hands at a time when cheap drones and precision missiles force troops to be more spread out and nimble.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
Being in the room helped me understand more about the geometry of the space program as well as the mapping between locations that I was constantly asked to calculate.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
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