globe

American  

[glohb] / gloʊb /

noun

1. Usually the globe the planet Earth.

2. a planet or other celestial body.

3. a sphere on which is depicted a map of the earth terrestrial globe or of the heavens celestial globe.

4. a spherical body; sphere.

5. anything more or less spherical, as a lampshade or a glass fishbowl.

6. a golden ball traditionally borne as an emblem of sovereignty; orb.

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verb (used with object)

globed, globing

1. to form into a globe.

verb (used without object)

globed, globing

1. to take the form of a globe.

globe British  

/ ɡləʊb /

noun

1. a sphere on which a map of the world or the heavens is drawn or represented

2. the world; the earth

3. a planet or some other astronomical body

4. an object shaped like a sphere, such as a glass lampshade or fish-bowl

5. an electric light bulb

6. an orb, usually of gold, symbolic of authority or sovereignty

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verb

1. to form or cause to form into a globe

Usage

What does globe mean? The word globe most generally refers to a sphere—a ball-like shape or object. Something globe-shaped can be described as globular, which means the same thing as spherical. More specifically, a globe is a three-dimensional model of Earth. (There are also globes representing the moon and other planets, but globes of Earth are most common.) These kinds of globes are associated with their use in classrooms for the subject of geography. The phrase the globe is another way of saying the world or the planet in reference to Earth, as in His name was known in almost every corner of the globe. Example: I started my travels around the globe by spinning a globe and pointing to a random destination.

Related Words

See earth.

Other Word Forms

• globelike
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of globe

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Middle French globe, from Latin globus “round body, ball, sphere”

Explanation

A globe doesn't have to be a spherical representation of our planet; it can be anything shaped like one — like a soccer ball or a gumball. Referring to a round shape, globe is often used interchangeably with sphere, though sphere has another meaning of an area of particular interest or a segment of a particular population. Globe is also another name for planet Earth itself, our lovely third rock from the sun — as in "viewers are tuning in from around the globe."

Example Sentences

Yields across the roughly $30 trillion Treasury yield curve have been moving sharply higher as investors around the globe sell bonds issued by many of the world’s largest economies.

From MarketWatch • May 18, 2026

England's top flight is the world's premier domestic rugby competition, the standard of rugby attracting Test stars from around the globe.

From BBC • May 17, 2026

But what do we actually know about the hantavirus that has infected at least 11 people, killed three of them and led to the quarantining of dozens more across the globe?

From The Wall Street Journal • May 16, 2026

The woman, a US citizen, journeyed halfway across the globe to reach remote Pitcairn Island after disembarking the cruise ship in Saint Helena, authorities said.

From Barron's • May 15, 2026

Boyle, for example, could place a lit candle in his globe, or a bird; although insects and frogs could be passed through the mercury into the Torricellian space, flames and birds could not.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• map
• planet
• world