horizontal

American  

[hawr-uh-zon-tl, hor-] / ˌhɔr əˈzɒn tl, ˌhɒr- /

adjective

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

2. flat or level.

   a horizontal position.

3. being in a prone or supine position; recumbent.

   His bad back has kept him horizontal for a week.

4. near, on, or parallel to the horizon.

5. of or relating to the horizon.

6. measured or contained in a plane parallel to the horizon.

   a horizontal distance.

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

8. 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.

9. 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.

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noun

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

horizontal British  

/ ˌhɒrɪˈzɒntəl /

adjective

1. parallel to the plane of the horizon; level; flat Compare vertical

2. of or relating to the horizon

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

4. applied uniformly or equally to all members of a group

5. economics relating to identical stages of commercial activity

   horizontal integration

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noun

1. a horizontal plane, position, line, etc

Other Word Forms

• horizontality noun
• horizontally adverb
• horizontalness noun
• subhorizontal adjective
• subhorizontally adverb
• subhorizontalness noun
• unhorizontal adjective
• unhorizontally adverb

Etymology

Origin of horizontal

1545–55; < Latin horizont- (stem of horizōn ) horizon + -al ¹

Example Sentences

Only about a yard of this is visible; the rest is wound on horizontal spindles.

From The Wall Street Journal

AT&T wants a low-rise, horizontal campus rather than its current high-rise, vertical downtown headquarters, and the company couldn’t find a downtown land parcel large enough for it, said a person familiar with the matter.

From The Wall Street Journal

On economic ties, Lee has called for South Korea and China to work towards "more horizontal and mutually beneficial" trade.

From Barron's

“Bitcoin is within an approximate horizontal trend … assessed as technically neutral,” signifying unlikely massive moves ahead, according to investing platform Investtech’s analysis of technical indicators.

From Barron's

The golden cross has two distinct wings making up its horizontal part, he said, and carry some of Garcia’s ashes inside.

From Los Angeles Times