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
You Name It: Eponyms
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National Librarian Day
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Kindred
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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:
For the Cell study published on September 24, Mount Sinai scientists combined existing datasets to build a single cell transcriptomic atlas of blood vessels in the human brain.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 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
The metabolic atlas also provides one of the most detailed resources yet for researchers studying metabolism during human brain development.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026
Using brain stroke as an example, Folkerth says the atlas has uncovered new features that could help doctors preserve brain tissue that is injured but not yet beyond repair, potentially improving patient outcomes.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
He raised himself to look at the atlas.
From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman
More than 1000 citizen science observations have been submitted through iNaturalist and the Atlas of Living Australia, and the insects have also been studied scientifically for decades.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026
The Nusantara Atlas project has put the number at closer to 900,000 hectares between January and August.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
About 59.9% of Brazilian adults support banning internet betting, a survey by Atlas and Bloomberg published this week has found.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
Brian Atlas of the “Whatever” podcast posted a video of the alleged victim drinking with Peters, as if it were exonerating evidence instead of bolstering the criminal case against him.
From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026
“You’re the one who trapped Atlas beneath the sky again?”
From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan
"Rather attractive... with Atlases supporting enormous mock columns and a rather luxurious intimacy about the atmosphere".
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2022
Only one of its Atlases, or telamones, remains even semi-intact.
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
The inventors, the workers, the thinkers, the mechanics, the surgeons, the philosophers—these are the Atlases upon whose shoulders rests the great fabric of modern civilization.
From The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 4 (of 12) Dresden Edition?Lectures by Robert Green Ingersoll
Histological atlases map its architecture at cellular resolution using microscopic images of tissue slices.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
His meticulous survey takes in dozens of sources, from the obscure to the well-known: pamphlets to legal codes, sermons to atlases, maps, travel narratives, even journals kept by ships’ captains.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025
The Nazi atlases “were like documents of death. The atlases that Shiv is creating are really living, interactive tools to support life.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2024
As a child, he wanted to learn about the world, poring over maps and atlases to learn the names of capital cities and mountains.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 16, 2023
“We shall have no more atlases covered in dust,” she said, in a voice so firm and resolute that, for once, the children found they had no choice but to do as they were told.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
