horizontal
Americanadjective
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at right angles to the vertical; parallel to level ground.
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flat or level.
a horizontal position.
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being in a prone or supine position; recumbent.
His bad back has kept him horizontal for a week.
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near, on, or parallel to the horizon.
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of or relating to the horizon.
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measured or contained in a plane parallel to the horizon.
a horizontal distance.
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(of material on a printed page, pieces on a game board, etc.) extending across, from the left to the right of the viewer.
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of or relating to a position or individual of similar status.
He received a horizontal promotion to a different department, retaining his old salary and title.
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Economics. of or relating to companies, affiliates, divisions, etc., that perform the same or similar functions or produce the same or similar products.
Through horizontal mergers the company monopolized its field.
noun
adjective
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parallel to the plane of the horizon; level; flat Compare vertical
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of or relating to the horizon
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measured or contained in a plane parallel to that of the horizon
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applied uniformly or equally to all members of a group
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economics relating to identical stages of commercial activity
horizontal integration
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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horizontalitynoun
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horizontalnessnoun
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subhorizontalnessnoun
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subhorizontaladjective
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unhorizontaladjective
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horizontallyadverb
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subhorizontallyadverb
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unhorizontallyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of horizontal
1545–55; < Latin horizont- (stem of horizōn ) horizon + -al 1
Explanation
The opposite of vertical, something horizontal is arranged sideways, like a person lying down. When you sleep (unless you're a horse), your body is horizontal: horizontal things are parallel to the ground or running in the same direction as the horizon. If you stack books horizontally, then they're on their side. You hear a lot about horizontal lines in geometry: If you picture a square, the top and bottom lines are horizontal lines.
Vocabulary lists containing horizontal
Expressions and Equations
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Geometry - Introductory
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The Number System
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The study shows that shocks can move through both horizontal and vertical pathways, as well as through direct and indirect connections, creating long chains of disruption and sudden breakdowns.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 20, 2026
He used it here to give balance and focus to the home’s 110-foot-long facade, and to control its horizontal sprawl.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
It uses low-stretch climbing ropes that convert the fall into a horizontal, pendulum swing, while bungee jumping uses an elastic rubber cord that creates a vertical, bouncing effect.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
Three hours before the match, AFP spoke with several protesters who held tickets and wore T-shirts printed with that pre-revolution flag -- horizontal green, white and red stripes overlaid with a sun and a lion.
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026
They scampered up another aisle, turned right, and saw Haley, her hand jammed through a horizontal slot near the top of the basement wall.
From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein
“Florida Painting” etches red horizontals into a yellow expanse flanked by vivid green, while the two-panel “Space Age Relaxation” carves white lines and colored bars into brown fields.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 3, 2021
For the Academy, City Hall’s arresting vertical lines were tranquilized into calming horizontals.
From New York Times ● Apr. 4, 2020
The only strict horizontals and verticals that will be found are in the rectangular paintings' edges.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2015
In the end, both vertical and horizontal turbines have their trade-offs, though horizontals are a more mature technology.
From Scientific American ● Aug. 18, 2011
She pointed to the dense thorny branches of a Blood Rose, cut and pinioned into cruel horizontals against the wall, yet still wild and heavy with dark red blooms.
From "How I Live Now" by Meg Rosoff
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
