globe

[glohb]

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.

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

/ 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

verb

1. to form or cause to form into a globe

Other Word Forms

• globelike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of globe¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of globe¹

C16: from Old French, from Latin globus

Synonym Study

See earth.

Example Sentences

The heist that has made headlines across the globe was the brazen daylight robbery of €88m worth of historic jewellery from the Louvre museum in Paris.

Read more on BBC

In the meantime, Biles seems content to embrace a position on the sidelines—both as an NFL WAG and a supporter of gymnastics around the globe.

Read more on MarketWatch

Prolific sculptor Frederick William Sievers shows a seated Maury enthroned like Zeus before a globe held aloft by swarming figures representing the forces of air and water.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

This has granted it unusual exposure across much of the globe, but also, for some, pegged it to controversial policies that have at times prompted protests at venues where the orchestra appears.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The rules are specific to California, but their oversight reaches businesses across the globe.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• map 
• planet 
• world 

When To Use

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.