oval
adjective
having the general form, shape, or outline of an egg; egg-shaped.
oval
American
[oh-vuhl]
/ ˈoʊ vəl /
adjective
-
having the general form, shape, or outline of an egg; egg-shaped.
-
ellipsoidal or elliptical.
noun
-
ovals
plural
-
an object of oval shape.
-
a body or plane figure that is oval in shape or outline.
-
an elliptical field or a field on which an elliptical track is laid out, as for athletic contests.
-
Informal. a football.
oval
1
British
/ ˈəʊvəl /
adjective
noun
Oval
2
British
/ ˈəʊvəl /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
ovalnessnoun
-
semiovalnessnoun
-
half-ovaladjective
-
pseudoovaladjective
-
semiovaladjective
-
ovallyadverb
-
pseudoovallyadverb
-
semiovallyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of oval
1560–70; < New Latin ōvālis, equivalent to Latin ōv ( um ) egg 1 + -ālis -al 1
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:
It has a roughly oval shape and a prominent depression near its south pole.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026
IndyCar and Penske Racing will pay much of the $35 million cost to stage the race, supported by sponsors to boost attention for a series best known for the Indianapolis 500 oval classic.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
At a Knicks–Pacers game, she took photos of everything on a digital camera, and she wore nonrecording oval cat-eye sunglasses on her Citi Bike date with Timothée Chalamet.
From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2026
Harris not only excels on the oval, but also on the gridiron.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2026
He was a gentle, kindly person, with brown eyes, an oval face, and a soft voice, which at times was almost inaudible.
From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok
"This wouldn't be for me," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
A credit-card bill that could dent banks’ profits and erode Visa’s V 0.81%increase; up pointing triangle and Mastercard’s MA 0.82%increase; up pointing triangle dominance has a new champion, and he sits in the Oval Office.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Trump said at the Oval Office on Wednesday that Secret Service officials first suggested the idea of using the golf club as a presidential retreat, and that he thinks it is "a great idea".
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
So on Air Force One, for example, or in the Oval Office, the White House press pool accompanies the president to those kinds of places, and when he travels, accompanies him.
From Slate ● Sep. 30, 2026
On the night of August 8, 1974, Richard Nixon sat at his desk in the Oval Office.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
The Pettit National Ice Center, in Milwaukee, is one of two Olympic-grade long-track ovals in the entire U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026
The orange ovals here show how a perfect circle on the globe is distorted depending on where it is located.
From Slate ● Jan. 21, 2026
Schumacher will compete in his first oval races, with six ovals on the 17-race IndyCar schedule, including the feature Indianapolis 500 next May 24.
From Barron's ● Nov. 24, 2025
One species they were interested in but dropped for this reason was leopard sharks, a striking fish adorned with spots and dark ovals stretched in neat rows across its back.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2025
Thanks to the wagering ban, the only places for it to go were seedy tracks, backwater ovals so small they were called “bullrings,” and dirt roads, but this was Irwin’s kind of racing.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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