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Oblong is a general but useful term for describing the shape of things such as leaves. There's no such thing as an oblong circle, since a stretched circle has to be called an oval, and any rectangle that isn't square is oblong, at least if it's lying on its side (such rectangles can actually be called oblongs). Pills are generally oblong rather than round, to slide down the throat more easily. An oblong table will often fit a living space better than a square or round one with the same area. And people are always buried in oblong boxes.
Examples of oblong in a Sentence
Nadja Sayej, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024
Otherwise, the oblong fruit are astringent enough to make your mouth pucker.
—Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Sep. 2024
Saki Knafo, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Oct. 2024
Picture an oblong, almost clawfoot bathtub-like shape that lays horizontally on the ground.
—Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 9 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for oblong 
Dictionary Entries Near oblong
Cite this Entry
“Oblong.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oblong. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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