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”

Example Sentences

In the past few years, Spurs have developed a state-of-the art stadium and training facilities which are the match of anything across the globe.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

The company currently employs more than 670 people around the globe.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

The development demonstrates North Korea's "resolve to acquire missiles capable of hitting targets around the globe", Hong Min, an analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, told AFP.

From Barron's • Mar. 29, 2026

Many Jews now feel like those calls are coming true, echoed in attacks the past year across the globe, including in Australia’s Bondi Beach, Washington, D.C.,

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

Only later, in 1629, was a satisfactory technical term invented to identify unambiguously this new entity: it was called ‘the terraqueous globe’.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• map
• planet
• world