figure eight

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noun

a figure or form composed of two loops formed by a continuous line crossing itself, as in the figure 8, especially as traced on ice in figure skating.

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Also called figure of eight.

Origin of figure eight

First recorded in 1595–1605

Words nearby figure eight

figure, figure and ground, figured, figured bass, figured glass, figure eight, figure eight suture, figure-ground, figure-ground phenomenon, figurehead, figure in

How to use figure eight in a sentence

That man was Xavier Cortada, a gay man who wrote of his frustration that he and his partner of eight years were unable to marry.
Jeb Bush’s Unseen Anti-Gay Marriage Emails|Jackie Kucinich|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
There were rumors of shrieks and flashes emanating from the well, and reports of a figure in white.
New York’s Most Tragic Ghost Loves Minimalist Swedish Fashion|Nina Strochlic|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Even other men of color considered Revels a curious figure, for Mississippi had never had a large free black population.
The Black Man Who Replaced Jefferson Davis in the Senate|Philip Dray|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I could complain about how, two out of eight episodes in, Agent Carter is in no hurry to introduce its real villain.
Marvel’s ‘Agent Carter’ Stomps on the Patriarchy|Melissa Leon|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST

The people who are involved in the violence, they figure out ways to remain here at all costs and continue causing trouble.
Mexico’s Priests Are Marked for Murder|Jason McGahan|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
When she arrived she made a regular entry into the city in a coach all gold and glass, drawn by eight superb plumed horses.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
After an eight weeks' siege, a breach having been made, the city surrendered, and a month later the fort followed the example.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
He was tall and of familiar figure, and the firelight was playing in the tossed curls of his short, fair hair.
The Bondboy|George W. (George Washington) Ogden
Their opportunities and earnings are relatively small, and in order to live they must figure closely.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips
But what might have been very practicable for eight hundred and sixty men, was impossible for three hundred and sixty.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various