sphere

[ sfeer ]

/ sfɪər /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR sphere ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Geometry.

a solid geometric figure generated by the revolution of a semicircle about its diameter; a round body whose surface is at all points equidistant from the center. Equation: x2 + y2 + z2 = r2.
the surface of such a figure; a spherical surface.

any rounded body approximately of this form; a globular mass, shell, etc.

Astronomy.

a planet or star; heavenly body.
celestial sphere.
any of the transparent, concentric, spherical shells, or layers, in which, according to ancient belief, the planets, stars, and other heavenly bodies were set.

the place or environment within which a person or thing exists; a field of activity or operation: to be out of one's professional sphere.

a particular social world, stratum of society, or walk of life: His social sphere is small.

a field of something specified: a sphere of knowledge.

verb (used with object), sphered, spher·ing.

to enclose in or as if in a sphere.

to form into a sphere.

to place among the heavenly spheres.

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?

Question 1 of 10

decorum

the act of or need for making up one's mind.

dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.

a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of sphere

1250–1300; < Late Latin sphēra, Latin sphaera globe < Greek sphaîra ball; replacing Middle English spere < Old French spere < Late Latin spēra, variant of sphēra

SYNONYMS FOR sphere

4 orbit, area, province, compass, realm, domain.

5 class, rank.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR sphere ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM sphere

sphere·less, adjectivesphere·like, adjectivesub·sphere, nounun·spher·ing, adjective

Words nearby sphere

sphenopsid, sphenorbital, sphenotic, spher-, spheral, sphere, sphere of influence, spherical, spherical aberration, spherical angle, spherical astronomy

Definition for sphere (2 of 2)

-sphere

a combining form of sphere (planisphere); having a special use in the names of the layers of gases and the like surrounding the earth and other celestial bodies (ionosphere).

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for sphere

This may be precisely the point: that fiction at its best is a sphere of suspended belief as much as suspended disbelief.
The Birth of the Novel|Nick Romeo|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In almost every sphere of life, the trend is to trade in ownership for access.
How Young People Are Destroying Liberty|James Poulos|October 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At that point, a sphere lit up, resembling the landing of the UFO in E.T., and the overheard lights descended on the stage.
I'm Not Country or Pop. I'm Just Pure Garth Brooks.|David Masciotra|September 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And while I may have put a bunch of stunt guys in peril on Titanic, it was my ass in the sphere on the dive.
James Cameron Dives into the Ocean's Abyss|Andrew Romano|July 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Business decisions sometimes operate in a sphere almost devoid of morality.
Video Games Need More Than Damsels and Dames|Tauriq Moosa|June 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The devotion to something afarFrom the sphere of our sorrow.
The Call of the Wildflower|Henry S. Salt
She is too amiable to desire what would make me unhappy, and too judicious to wish to step beyond the sphere of her sex.
Woman in the Nineteenth Century|Margaret Fuller Ossoli
Slowly, by inches, he started to back toward the sphere; then suddenly he ran for it with all his might, Holmes after him.
Astounding Stories, April, 1931|Various
But who does not feel that it is employed in too confined a sphere?
Devereux, Complete|Edward Bulwer-Lytton
A sharp cutting instrument, fixed on a bench, is brought into contact with the surface of the sphere, which is made to revolve.
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Volume 1, No. 2, July, 1850.|Various

British Dictionary definitions for sphere (1 of 2)

sphere

/ (sfɪə) /

noun

maths

a three-dimensional closed surface such that every point on the surface is equidistant from a given point, the centre
the solid figure bounded by this surface or the space enclosed by it. Equation: (x–a)² + (y–b)² + (z–c)² = r ², where r is the radius and (a, b, c) are the coordinates of the centre; surface area: 4π r ²; volume: 4π r ³/3

any object having approximately this shape; globe

the night sky considered as a vaulted roof; firmament

any heavenly object such as a planet, natural satellite, or star

(in the Ptolemaic or Copernican systems of astronomy) one of a series of revolving hollow globes, arranged concentrically, on whose transparent surfaces the sun (or in the Copernican system the earth), the moon, the planets, and fixed stars were thought to be set, revolving around the earth (or in the Copernican system the sun)

particular field of activity; environmentthat's out of my sphere

a social class or stratum of society

verb (tr) mainly poetic

to surround or encircle

to place aloft or in the heavens

Word Origin for sphere

C14: from Late Latin sphēra, from Latin sphaera globe, from Greek sphaira

British Dictionary definitions for sphere (2 of 2)

-sphere

n combining form

having the shape or form of a spherebathysphere

indicating a spherelike enveloping massatmosphere

Derived forms of -sphere

-spheric, adj combining form

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

Medical definitions for sphere

sphere

[ sfîr ]

n.

A ball-shaped or a globular body.

Other words from sphere

spher′al (sfîr′əl) adj.

Scientific definitions for sphere

sphere

[ sfîr ]

A three-dimensional geometric surface having all of its points the same distance from a given point.

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

sphere

noun

verb (used with object), sphered, spher·ing.

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

Origin of sphere

SYNONYMS FOR sphere

OTHER WORDS FROM sphere

Words nearby sphere

Definition for sphere (2 of 2)

Example sentences from the Web for sphere

British Dictionary definitions for sphere (1 of 2)

noun

verb (tr) mainly poetic

Word Origin for sphere

British Dictionary definitions for sphere (2 of 2)

n combining form

Derived forms of -sphere

Medical definitions for sphere

n.

Other words from sphere

Scientific definitions for sphere

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

sphere

noun

verb (used with object), sphered, spher·ing.

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

Origin of sphere

SYNONYMS FOR sphere

OTHER WORDS FROM sphere

Words nearby sphere

Definition for sphere (2 of 2)

Words related to sphere

Example sentences from the Web for sphere

British Dictionary definitions for sphere (1 of 2)

noun

verb (tr) mainly poetic

Word Origin for sphere

British Dictionary definitions for sphere (2 of 2)

n combining form

Derived forms of -sphere

Medical definitions for sphere

n.

Other words from sphere

Scientific definitions for sphere