as in oval
a shape that resembles a flattened circle
The teacher drew an ellipse on the chalkboard that intended to illustrate the moon's orbit around the Earth.
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Recent Examples of ellipse
Since the moon’s orbital path around Earth is a slight ellipse, there’s a near-point (perigee) and a far-point (apogee) every month.
—
Jamie Carter, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024
That’s because the moon’s orbital path around Earth is a slight ellipse, so there’s always a near-point (perigee) and a far-point (apogee) every month.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 16 Aug. 2024
Right now Bennu is 89 percent as far from the sun as Earth is, but to rendezvous with Earth, the spacecraft will have to follow an ellipse that takes it 40 percent farther out—almost as far from the sun as Mars is.
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 May 2021
The spacecraft traced a long ellipse, reaching lunar distance but then falling back to Earth and burning up on reentry over the Pacific Ocean.
—IEEE Spectrum, 15 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ellipse 
Jamie Carter, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024
That’s because the moon’s orbital path around Earth is a slight ellipse, so there’s always a near-point (perigee) and a far-point (apogee) every month.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 16 Aug. 2024
Right now Bennu is 89 percent as far from the sun as Earth is, but to rendezvous with Earth, the spacecraft will have to follow an ellipse that takes it 40 percent farther out—almost as far from the sun as Mars is.
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 May 2021
The spacecraft traced a long ellipse, reaching lunar distance but then falling back to Earth and burning up on reentry over the Pacific Ocean.
—IEEE Spectrum, 15 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ellipse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ellipse
Noun
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The oval track in New Market had 12 racing Saturdays last summer.—
Tom Schardin,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2025
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Seen from above, the historic kiln has an oval shape with several holes in the top, a photo shared by the council in a Jan. 27 Facebook post shows.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Miami Herald,
4 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Pour egg mixture evenly over top and sprinkle with chocolate chips.—
Anna Theoktisto,
Southern Living,
8 Feb. 2025
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The egg hunt starts at 8:15 p.m. For more information on the programs, call 847-622-0003.—
Mike Danahey,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Egg-shaped and speckled, the handblown-glass orb sat directly on a floor or table—a functional and whimsical design piece that launched her namesake studio onto the global stage.—
Rachel Gallaher,
Robb Report,
2 Feb. 2025
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The two images — which the company posted Monday on the social media platform X — features a view of the moon from the top deck of the 6.6-foot-tall (2-meter-tall) lunar lander as well as a snapshot of the celestial orb on its own.—
Taylor Nicioli,
CNN,
1 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Ellipse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ellipse. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.
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