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.

---

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

---

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

The court’s decision, which is expected by early July, will likely affect similar efforts by the administration to end TPS for 11 other developing countries around the globe.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026

As the war in Iran strangles the flow of oil around the globe, California’s jet fuel reservoirs are running low.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026

Questions have pivoted to the Ellison family, which will control a constellation of media properties spanning the globe -- though at the cost of accumulating a pile of debt.

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

The “digital afterlife industry” is valued in the billions, providing customers around the globe with tools to resurrect their dead loved ones at scale.

From Slate • Apr. 23, 2026

Within days, the story was headline news around the globe.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• map
• planet
• world