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
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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:
The court heard West, from Chingford in east London, had viewed the atlas on 19 and 20 December 2024 and again on the day before the theft.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
The court was told the two digital copies of the atlas are incomplete.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
The resulting atlas revealed 539 chemically distinct territories, which the researchers named "lipizones."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
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
Frantically he turned the pages of the atlas.
From "The BFG" by Roald Dahl
The recent sale or the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, was valued at $600 million by hotel industry analyst and broker Alan Reay, president of Atlas Hospitality, based on recent appraisals and comparable sales of other resorts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026
Even the new VW Atlas has returned to physical switches.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026
They analyzed information from the Cancer Genome Atlas, a large collection of detailed data from thousands of cancer patient samples.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026
According to independent forest monitoring platform Nusantara Atlas, 1,043,377 wildfire hotspots have been recorded in Indonesia, burning a total of 900,000 hectares of land.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
Atlas, seeing a chance of being relieved forever from his heavy task, gladly agreed.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
Even the more modest buildings have distinctive flourishes, and some are simply stand-in-the-street-and-stare astonishing, like the House of Scientists, a neo-Baroque extravaganza with a huge wooden entryway flanked by twin Atlases holding up the balcony.
From New York Times ● May 31, 2022
"Rather attractive... with Atlases supporting enormous mock columns and a rather luxurious intimacy about the atmosphere".
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2022
Could Lou or one of the other Atlases take his title?
From The Guardian ● Nov. 6, 2015
The earlier generation of nuclear missiles - the mere dozens of Titans and the Atlases - were massive, expensive to maintain, volatile because of their liquid fuel and in need of constant security, Heefner said.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 17, 2015
Such men are the Atlases on whose mighty shoulders rest the great fabric of the Republic.
From The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 12 (of 12) Dresden Edition?Miscellany by Robert Green Ingersoll
"Most large atlases like this require large consortia with dozens of laboratories but our method is far more efficient than other approaches."
From Science Daily ● Feb. 28, 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 next phase is to put the individual atlases together, according to Prof Sarah Teichmann of Cambridge University, who is one of the scientists who founded and leads the Human Cell Atlas Consortium.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2024
Other anatomical atlases exist, but these illustrations had especially fine details, including of the nerves extending beyond the brain and spiral cord.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2024
I knew from studying atlases as a kid that Cymru meant Wales.
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
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