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
The spacecraft traced a long ellipse, reaching lunar distance but then falling back to Earth and burning up on reentry over the Pacific Ocean.
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IEEE Spectrum, 15 Feb. 2024
In 2010, astrophysicists including Sean Raymond at the University of Bordeaux in France simulated the evolution of planetary systems and found that when one gas giant planet punts a sibling from their home system, as sometimes happens, the expulsion stretches the survivor’s orbit into an ellipse.
—Charlie Wood, WIRED, 31 Dec. 2023
At around 125 miles in altitude, mission controllers would adjust the ISS’s trajectory, tweaking the rocket’s burn to reshape the station’s roughly circular orbit into an ellipse, with its closest earthward point, or perigee, perhaps 90 miles above the planet.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 21 Nov. 2023
Astronomers continue to take a page from Hubble’s playbook and scrutinize Andromeda, the faint ellipse in the northern sky.
—WIRED, 12 Nov. 2023
See all Example Sentences for ellipse 
IEEE Spectrum, 15 Feb. 2024
In 2010, astrophysicists including Sean Raymond at the University of Bordeaux in France simulated the evolution of planetary systems and found that when one gas giant planet punts a sibling from their home system, as sometimes happens, the expulsion stretches the survivor’s orbit into an ellipse.
—Charlie Wood, WIRED, 31 Dec. 2023
At around 125 miles in altitude, mission controllers would adjust the ISS’s trajectory, tweaking the rocket’s burn to reshape the station’s roughly circular orbit into an ellipse, with its closest earthward point, or perigee, perhaps 90 miles above the planet.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 21 Nov. 2023
Astronomers continue to take a page from Hubble’s playbook and scrutinize Andromeda, the faint ellipse in the northern sky.
—WIRED, 12 Nov. 2023
See all Example Sentences for ellipse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ellipse
Noun
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Her first lower premolar was oval in shape and had a single cusp, like an ape’s.Donald C. Johanson, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2024
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A couple of weeks after the convention, at a rally outside Portsmouth, New Hampshire, a crowd presses at the edges of a makeshift stage set within a hot oval of bleachers and mowed grass.Nathan Heller, Vogue, 11 Oct. 2024
Noun
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That’s part of the reason why the robot slinging sizzling plates of eggs and bacon to Denny’s customers only actually brings the plate to the table.Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 20 Nov. 2024
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The study showed that men’s bodies are better suited for high-carbohydrate meals in the morning, like oatmeal and fruit, while women do better with breakfast foods that are higher in fat, such as eggs and avocado.Kristen Fischer, Health, 20 Nov. 2024
Noun
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By his side is Puck, a golden, floating orb and guide through this hellscape that’s filled with vicious, gargantuan mutants.Nick Romano, EW.com, 20 Nov. 2024
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Image: Microsoft This Xbox chatbot will appear as an AI character that animates when responding, or as a colorful Xbox orb.Tom Warren, The Verge, 4 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Ellipse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ellipse. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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