vertical
Americanadjective
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being in a position or direction perpendicular to the plane of the horizon; upright; plumb.
- Antonyms:
- horizontal
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of, relating to, or situated at the vertex.
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of or relating to the cranial vertex.
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Botany.
-
(of a leaf ) having the blade in a perpendicular plane, so that neither of the surfaces can be called upper or lower.
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being in the same direction as the axis; lengthwise.
-
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of, constituting, or resulting in vertical combination.
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of or relating to a product or service from initial planning to sale.
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of, relating to, or noting a stratified society, nation, etc.
noun
-
something vertical, as a line or plane.
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a vertical or upright position.
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a vertical structural member in a truss.
adjective
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at right angles to the horizon; perpendicular; upright Compare horizontal
a vertical wall
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extending in a perpendicular direction
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at or in the vertex or zenith; directly overhead
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economics of or relating to associated or consecutive, though not identical, stages of industrial activity
vertical integration
vertical amalgamation
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of or relating to the vertex
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anatomy of, relating to, or situated at the top of the head (vertex)
noun
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a vertical plane, position, or line
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a vertical post, pillar, or other structural member
Synonym Usage
See upright.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of vertical
First recorded in 1550–60; from Latin verticālis, equivalent to vertic- (stem of vertex ) vertex + -ālis -al 1
Explanation
Vertical describes something that rises straight up from a horizontal line or plane. A telephone pole or a tree can usually be described as vertical in relation to the ground. The walls of your house — unless there's some terrible problem — are vertical. They rise straight up from the foundation, at a ninety degree angle. When you're standing up, you're vertical, as opposed to when you lie down in a horizontal position on the couch. The terms vertical and horizontal often describe directions: a vertical line goes up and down, and a horizontal line goes across. You can remember which direction is vertical by the letter, "v," which points down.
Vocabulary lists containing vertical
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.
We are using a standard rolling procedure for our SPY spreads: in any vertical bull- or bear spread, if the underlying hits the short strike, then roll the entire spread.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 11, 2026
“The unique advantage Tesla has, and unmatched at an industrial-level scale, is the degree of vertical integration…across all the hardware plus software products it builds, combined with the efficacy and speed of technology development.”
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
It's the familiar format you'll recognise from many social media platforms: full-screen, vertical and easy to scroll through.
From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026
As a result, Isak would have fallen in a more vertical and less controlled way, without being able to use his hands to slow himself down, they added.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026
He was responsible for the way architects and engineers draw buildings and machines: they project the design onto a vertical plane and a horizontal plane, preserving all the information needed to reconstruct the object.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
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.
