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• sphere
  sphere

  noun
• -sphere
  -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 ).

sphere

¹ American  

[sfeer] / sfɪər /

noun

spheres plural

1. Geometry.

   1. 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: x 2 + y 2 + z 2 = r 2 .

   2. the surface of such a figure; a spherical surface.

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

3. Astronomy.

   1. a planet or star; heavenly body.

   2. celestial sphere.

   3. any of the transparent, concentric, spherical shells, or layers, in which, according to ancient belief, the planets, stars, and other heavenly bodies were set.

4. 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.

   Synonyms:

   domain, realm, compass, province, area, orbit

5. a particular social world, stratum of society, or walk of life.

   His social sphere is small.

   Synonyms:

   rank, class

6. a field of something specified.

   a sphere of knowledge.

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verb (used with object)

sphered, sphering

1. to enclose in or as if in a sphere.

2. to form into a sphere.

3. to place among the heavenly spheres.

-sphere ² American  

1. 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 ).

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sphere ¹ British  

/ sfɪə /

noun

1. maths

   1. a three-dimensional closed surface such that every point on the surface is equidistant from a given point, the centre

   2. 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

2. any object having approximately this shape; globe

3. the night sky considered as a vaulted roof; firmament

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

5. (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)

6. particular field of activity; environment

   that's out of my sphere

7. a social class or stratum of society

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verb

1. to surround or encircle

2. to place aloft or in the heavens

-sphere ² British  

combining form

1. having the shape or form of a sphere

   bathysphere

2. indicating a spherelike enveloping mass

   atmosphere

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sphere Scientific  

/ sfîr /

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subsphere
  noun
• sphereless
  adjective
• spherelike
  adjective
• unsphering
  adjective
• -spheric
  combining form

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• spheres
  plural

Etymology

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

Explanation

Marbles, oranges, bubbles, and beach balls — all of these objects illustrate the shape of a sphere, or globe (unless the beach balls are under-inflated, in which case they’re sort-of a “squished-sphere” shape). Sphere is often used metaphorically to refer to a particular aspect or area of something. For example, unless you’re a trained circus performer, tightrope walking and fire swallowing probably lie outside of your sphere of expertise. Sphere frequently occurs in the phrase “sphere of influence,” which designates the geographical area over which a person, organization, or nation has control. In many households, whoever is in charge of the cooking controls the kitchen; so, the kitchen falls within his or her sphere of influence.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sphere spheres sphered sphering

Robinson said Gamble had "impeccable and unquestionable credentials in the safeguarding sphere".

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

Since physicist Freeman Dyson first proposed the idea in 1960, the hypothetical "Dyson sphere" has become one of the most intriguing concepts in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 10, 2026

Much of the concern that has led to curbs on Anthropic merely reflects how slow the political sphere has been to adapt to the rapid advance of artificial intelligence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

To Siebel Newsom, the critiques of her work and the federal probe are part of a broader hounding of women who enter the public sphere.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026

Or was the outermost sphere the end of the universe?

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Crews in protective suits were reportedly seen placing the spheres in hazmat barrels under police guard, over concerns they may contain hazardous substances.

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026

By testing three YIG spheres with different levels of purity, the researchers found a clear pattern.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 2, 2026

Her passion for storytelling extends beyond the spheres of journalism and history.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026

The German defence industry has locked onto that trend, as illustrated by the rise of arms maker Rheinmetall in recent years, with the group recently pushing into the naval and dronemaking spheres.

From Barron's ● May 16, 2026

Engines blazed bright with stars spinning in their gilded spheres.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

Yet saw he something in the lives    Of those who'd ceased to live That sphered them with a majesty    Which living failed to give.

From Wessex Poems and Other Verses by Hardy, Thomas

Some of the Parrot’s recitals have other tales sphered within them, so to say—a plan which must be familiar to all readers of the Arabian Nights.

From Flowers from a Persian Garden and Other Papers by Clouston, William Alexander

His imagination, "nigh sphered in Heaven," claimed kindred only with what he saw from that height, and could raise to the same elevation with itself.

From Lectures on the English Poets Delivered at the Surrey Institution by Waller, Alfred Rayney

Its foliage was as fine as hair, apparently, and its mass sphered itself above the naked straight stem like an explosion of misty smoke.

From Following the Equator, Part 2 by Twain, Mark

His thoughts are sphered and crystalline; his style “prouder than when blue Iris bends;” his spirit fiery, impatient, wayward, indefatigable.

From Hazlitt on English Literature An Introduction to the Appreciation of Literature by Zeitlin, Jacob

I stick my head into the workshop and say hello to Ben Morling, founder and MD of both branches, who got into the Segway business after some success with a sphering, or zorbing, company.

From The Guardian ● Aug. 31, 2015

Greater than the sphering sea,  For it holds the sea and land; Seed of all ideas to be  Down its current borne like sand.

From An Anthology of Australian Verse by Stevens, Bertram

Related Words

• circle
• field
• realm
• scope