horizontal

[ hawr-uh-zon-tl, hor- ]

/ ˌhɔr əˈzɒn tl, ˌhɒr- /

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See synonyms for: horizontal / horizontals / horizontally on Thesaurus.com

adjective

at right angles to the vertical; parallel to level ground.

flat or level: a horizontal position.

being in a prone or supine position; recumbent: His bad back has kept him horizontal for a week.

near, on, or parallel to the horizon.

of or relating to the horizon.

measured or contained in a plane parallel to the horizon: a horizontal distance.

(of material on a printed page, pieces on a game board, etc.) extending across, from the left to the right of the viewer.

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.

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

anything horizontal, as a plane, direction, or object.

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Origin of horizontal

1545–55; <Latin horizont- (stem of horizōn) horizon + -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM horizontal

hor·i·zon·tal·i·ty

[hawr-i-zon-tal-i-tee, hor-], /ˌhɔr ɪ zɒnˈtæl ɪ ti, ˌhɒr-/, hor·i·zon·tal·ness, nounhor·i·zon·tal·ly, adverbsub·hor·i·zon·tal, adjectivesub·hor·i·zon·tal·ly, adverb

sub·hor·i·zon·tal·ness, nounun·hor·i·zon·tal, adjectiveun·hor·i·zon·tal·ly, adverb

Words nearby horizontal

horizon, Horizon Club, Horizon Deep, horizon distance, horizonless, horizontal, horizontal bar, horizontal mobility, horizontal stabilizer, horizontal tasting, horizontal union

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use horizontal in a sentence

This capability was restored, she discovered, when the yeasts acquired bacterial versions of those genes via horizontal gene transfer.
By Losing Genes, Life Often Evolved More Complexity|Viviane Callier|September 1, 2020|Quanta Magazine
The miter saw is fully adjustable with easy to read markers and a 14-Inch expanded horizontal cutting capacity.
Make every project a breeze with the right miter saw|PopSci Commerce Team|August 26, 2020|Popular-Science
As a matter of physics, rotation is required to produce horizontal or physical movement on pitches.
What Really Gives Left-Handed Pitchers Their Edge?|Guy Molyneux|August 17, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Interstellar horizontal gene transfer need not involve physical movement, but could enhance the fitness of any participating species.
How Life Could Continue to Evolve - Issue 88: Love & Sex|Caleb Scharf|August 12, 2020|Nautilus

It also appears that horizontal gene exchange isn’t limited to prokaryotes.
How Life Could Continue to Evolve - Issue 88: Love & Sex|Caleb Scharf|August 12, 2020|Nautilus
Like countless other boys in Massapequa, he had a crew cut and wore Keds sneakers and T-shirts with horizontal stripes.
Why Comedians Still Think Bill Cosby Is a Genius|Mark Whitaker|October 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Daily activity is rendered in parallel horizontal timelines, making it very easy to compare one day's activity to the next.
The Best Quantified Self Site You Haven’t Heard Of|Jamie Todd Rubin|August 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Name some aspect of the horizontal polka and it has probably been discussed endlessly among human beings with two X chromosomes.
C’mon, Ladies, Masturbation Isn’t Just for Bad Girls|Emily Shire|June 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You see, the spine is a row of vertebrae that was designed to be horizontal.
Why Is Louis C.K. So Funny? He Uses Humor as a Moral Compass.|Andrew Romano|May 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Like the wings, the tail surfaces—horizontal and vertical—easily break away from the fuselage and float.
Mysterious Debris Near Australia Looks like MH370’s Wing|Clive Irving|March 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the diagram the horizontal arrows represent such mere banking operations, not true circulation.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips
It had worked at Tavistock; it was a horizontal high-pressure pole puffer.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick
Carlson was a little above medium height, dark complexioned, his brow a washboard of horizontal wrinkles.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
The cliffs of Red Point partake of a reddish tinge and appear to be disposed nearly in horizontal strata.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2]|Phillip Parker King
The tubes are horizontal over the fire, the water circulating through them.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick

British Dictionary definitions for horizontal

horizontal

/ (ˌhɒrɪˈzɒntəl) /

adjective

parallel to the plane of the horizon; level; flatCompare vertical (def. 1)

of or relating to the horizon

measured or contained in a plane parallel to that of the horizon

applied uniformly or equally to all members of a group

economics relating to identical stages of commercial activityhorizontal integration

noun

a horizontal plane, position, line, etc

Derived forms of horizontal

horizontality or horizontalness, nounhorizontally, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

horizontal

Origin of horizontal

OTHER WORDS FROM horizontal

Words nearby horizontal

Words related to horizontal

How to use horizontal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for horizontal

Derived forms of horizontal