aspect ratio

American  

[as-pekt rey-shoh, rey--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.  Also called 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

Example Sentences

People think, “Oh it’s just bigger or there’s more sound,” but the aspect ratio actually changes from scene to scene and it really impacts your viewing experience.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2025

By measuring the aspect ratio -- the ratio of length to width -- they found that the anemone returned to its pre-injury proportions.

From Science Daily • Nov. 29, 2024

A wide aspect ratio and long lenses create emptiness around Monk, and then as scenes progress, the camera moves to “pan in all the chaos happening around him.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 30, 2024

Colors and detail are eye-popping throughout, but I am disappointed that we never get an IMAX-sized, screen-filling moments tied to the bigger action scenes, instead the widescreen aspect ratio remains throughout.

From Washington Times • Nov. 11, 2023

That means a better proportion of reaction to weight of surface, though the designer must not forget the drift of struts and wires necessary to brace up a surface of high aspect ratio.

From The Aeroplane Speaks Fifth Edition by Barber, H. (Horatio)