atlas
noun
a bound collection of maps.
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sky atlas.
atlas
1 American
[at-luhs]
/ ˈæt ləs /
noun
atlases,
plural
atlantes
plural
-
a bound collection of maps.
-
a bound volume of charts, plates, or tables illustrating any subject.
-
Anatomy. the first cervical vertebra, which supports the head.
-
a size of drawing or writing paper, 26 × 34 or 33 inches.
-
Also called telamon. Architecture. a sculptural figure of a man used as a column.
Atlas
2
American
[at-luhs]
/ ˈæt ləs /
noun
Atlases
plural
-
Classical Mythology. a Titan, son of Iapetus and brother of Prometheus and Epimetheus, condemned to support the sky on his shoulders: identified by the ancients with the Atlas Mountains.
-
a person who supports a heavy burden; a mainstay.
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Charles Angelo Siciliano, 1894–1972, U.S. body-building advocate, born in Italy.
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a liquid-propellant booster rocket, originally developed as the first U.S. ICBM, used with Agena or Centaur upper stages to launch satellites into orbit around the earth and send probes to the moon and planets; also used to launch the Mercury spacecraft into orbit around the earth.
atlas
1
British
/ ˈætləs /
noun
-
a collection of maps, usually in book form
-
a book of charts, graphs, etc, illustrating aspects of a subject
an anatomical atlas
-
anatomy the first cervical vertebra, attached to and supporting the skull in man Compare axis 1
-
architect another name for telamon
-
a standard size of drawing paper, 26 × 17 inches
Atlas
2
British
/ ˈætləs /
noun
-
Greek myth a Titan compelled to support the sky on his shoulders as punishment for rebelling against Zeus
-
a US intercontinental ballistic missile, also used in launching spacecraft
-
astronomy a small satellite of Saturn, discovered in 1980
Atlas
1
Cultural
atlas
2
Cultural
Discover More
An “Atlas” or “atlas” is an incredibly strong person or one who carries an enormous burden.
Since the sixteenth century, pictures of Atlas and his burden have been used as decorations on maps. Accordingly, the word atlas is used for a book of maps.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of atlas
1580–90 in sense “prop, support”; as name for a collection of maps, said to be from illustrations of Atlas supporting the globe in early books of this kind
Explanation
Can’t remember which countries border Uzbekistan? Consult an atlas, a book of maps, and you’ll find the information you need. An atlas gets its name from the Greek god Atlas, who, according to myth, was forced to bear the weight of the heavens on his shoulders. You might feel like Atlas if you have to carry one of these books around. Atlases are usually large, oversized books that contain maps, diagrams, and information such as population figures. Traditionally, atlas refers specifically to a bound book of maps rather than to a folding map, a globe, or an online database.
Vocabulary lists containing atlas
You Name It: Eponyms
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Kindred
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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:
Other scientists say the atlas could also help neurosurgeons navigate the brainstem more safely.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Almost every resident carries a private atlas of vanished places: Regal Cinema, the old Coffee House, Urdu bookshops in Daryaganj, winter evenings at India Gate before barricades and security cordons reshaped the city.
From BBC ● May 25, 2026
A major breakthrough came from constructing a detailed genetic atlas that maps a range of CD8 T cell states.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 5, 2026
Researchers at The Rockefeller University built the most detailed atlas so far of how aging affects thousands of cell subtypes across 21 mammalian tissues.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 28, 2026
Instead, he studied the map for a long moment, then replaced the atlas on the shelf.
From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker
Hyundai has said it plans to deploy Atlas humanoid robots at its Georgia megaplant starting in 2028.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Two boys, Atlas and Sebastian Carbajal, were listed on the L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026
But the emergence of Atlas stunned many Hyundai workers and union officials in South Korea.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
One of the more unusual features of the Atlas Lions' rise has been the prominent role of the players' mothers.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Annabeth had been captured by the Titan Atlas.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
"Rather attractive... with Atlases supporting enormous mock columns and a rather luxurious intimacy about the atmosphere".
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2022
Only one of its Atlases, or telamones, remains even semi-intact.
From New York Times ● Oct. 5, 2020
Could Lou or one of the other Atlases take his title?
From The Guardian ● Nov. 6, 2015
The earlier generation of nuclear missiles - the mere dozens of Titans and the Atlases - were massive, expensive to maintain, volatile because of their liquid fuel and in need of constant security, Heefner said.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 17, 2015
"They are as superior to all School Atlases within our knowledge, as were the larger works of the same Author in advance of those that preceded them."
From Cattle and Cattle-breeders by M'Combie, William
His meticulous survey takes in dozens of sources, from the obscure to the well-known: pamphlets to legal codes, sermons to atlases, maps, travel narratives, even journals kept by ships’ captains.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025
It has produced draft atlases of the brain and lung and researchers are working on the kidney, liver and heart.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2024
Other anatomical atlases exist, but these illustrations had especially fine details, including of the nerves extending beyond the brain and spiral cord.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2024
"With single-cell atlases, you take an entire organism and you literally split it into its individual cells. And then you look at gene expression in each cell separately," she said.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 15, 2024
As in all atlases, there were two completely blank pages at the very end.
From "The BFG" by Roald Dahl
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.
