Geometry. any unbroken part of the circumference of a circle or other curved line.
Also called electric arc. Electricity. a luminous bridge formed in a gap between two electrodes.
Astronomy. the part of a circle representing the apparent course of a heavenly body.
anything bow-shaped.
to form an electric arc.
to move in a curve suggestive of an arc.
something curved in shape
part of an unbroken curved line
a luminous discharge that occurs when an electric current flows between two electrodes or any other two surfaces separated by a small gap and a high potential difference
astronomy a circular section of the apparent path of a celestial body
maths a section of a curve, graph, or geometric figure
1350–1400; Middle English ark < Latin arcus bow, arch, curve
An arc is a curve. You can describe the bend of a rainbow as an arc. In math, an arc is one section of a circle, but in life you can use the word to mean any curved shape, like the arc of a ballerina's arm or the graceful arc of a flowering vine over a trellis. In the 14th century, arc first meant the movement of the sun in the sky, from the Old French arc, "bow or arch," and the Latin root arcus, also "bow or arch."
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Chasing a late shooting opportunity, Kerry held on to the ball before Sean O'Shea's do-or-die effort from outside the two-point arc dropped short.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
That the arc of the moral universe must bend toward justice is already a daily practice for so many Americans.
From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026
It’s not difficult to predict how Sonny’s arc will curve: It’s a Walter Mitty story, but also an Ugly Duckling story.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
Carn said a dramatic escalation appears unlikely because the eruption is associated with a volcanic ridge near the intersection of a transform fault and a back arc spreading center.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 10, 2026
Briggs kicked an arc of sand across John Harvey’s legs.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
British oil giant Shell is making a big bet on Canadian shale oil and natural gas, announcing Monday it will spend $16 billion to buy Calgary-based ARC Resources.
From Barron's ● Apr. 27, 2026
Shell has agreed to buy Canadian shale company ARC Resources for $13.6 billion, in a move to boost its production capabilities at a time when prices have jumped.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 27, 2026
With that, regulators sent a clear message that was the start of a more M&A-friendly era, ARC Group analysts said in a report.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 2026
But a handful of recent games lauded for their AAA-feel by critics and gamers alike - such as ARC Raiders, Split Fiction, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - asked for more modest prices of £30-£40.
From BBC ● Feb. 20, 2026
THE ARC DE L'ETOILE.—The triumphal arch bears many scars, but none of them of much importance.
From Paris under the Commune The Seventy-Three Days of the Second Siege; with Numerous Illustrations, Sketches Taken on the Spot, and Portraits (from the Original Photographs) by Leighton, John
Often, our life arcs lead us from one solid self to another.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
Scenes animated in hand-drawn style are designed to bring Bonnie’s imagination to life, recreating the vivid magic of designing entire stories and character arcs for toys during playtime.
From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2026
Emotional arcs are readily discernible, and there are surprising shifts in tempo and density.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
To the south lie the Bureau of Land Management’s Imperial Sand Dunes, where dune buggies and motorcycles trace arcs across bare slopes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2026
Never had he suspected that foxes might soar like birds, whose swooping arcs were not like any movement he himself could achieve.
From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker
Suddenly, the whale’s dark body arced above the surface before diving down to reveal its tail, or fluke.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
Lawrence's bending shot scuffed a post, while Barisic arced a dipping free-kick form 20 yards off the crossbar.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2023
This one arced over Chelsea’s wall and dropped crisply into the bottom corner beyond Kepa Arrizabalaga’s despairing dive.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 18, 2023
They got a bicycle kick in the 45th minute from El Yamiq that arced toward the left post and made the stadium begin a shake that might have lasted to Sunday had it scored.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 14, 2022
He squared his shoulders and leaned his body into the shot, which arced beautifully over the players’ heads.
From "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" by Warren St. John
A birthday party had just ended, and he was offered a piece of cake, chocolate with a jelly-bean rainbow arcing across the frosting.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2025
The delivery to get Rahul was an arcing inswinger, the appeal turned down on the field, then overturned by the replay.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2025
It soars upward and hangs there for four seconds, six seconds, eight—a black meteor arcing against the blue sky.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2025
That caused a short-circuit and "arcing" - electric sparks like those in a spark plug - which resulted in a "catastrophic failure".
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2025
Each tine struck a different Sixer avatar in the chest while somehow arcing harmlessly around everyone else.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
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.
