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
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.
Her garment, a one-piece tracksuit made of a French terry fabric by Alexander McQueen, dresses athleisure one step up with horizontal yellow accents across the chest and ruching up the sleeves.
From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2026
Eugene Levert, chain-smoking next to a stack of books while wearing a vertical blue-striped button-down and khaki slacks, looked the scholarly mirror of Doug Lamplugh, in a horizontal blue-striped polo and khaki shorts.
From Slate • May 4, 2026
Neurons form tightly organized, overlapping horizontal stripes based on the receptor they carry.
From Science Daily • Apr. 30, 2026
The company built and flew a prototype of one such drone, in which batteries power the vertical takeoff and the rotary engine takes over for long-range horizontal flight.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
Two horizontal was some word meaning to remove afar off.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
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.
