figure eight

noun

: something resembling the Arabic numeral eight in form or shape: such as
a
: a small knot see knot illustration
b
: an embroidery stitch
c
: a dance pattern
d
: a skater's figure

called also figure-of-eight

Examples of figure eight in a Sentence

The skater traced a figure eight on the ice.
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
One experiment involved placing the container on a rotating wheel in the shape of a figure eight and tracking the material with a high-speed camera, using an image processing algorithm to analyze the footage. Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, 9 Aug. 2024 The Maker’s Temple is a figure eight, symbolizing eternity, in which sand represents death and water life. Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 20 July 2024 The padding is injected in a figure eight pattern — like an infinity symbol — to mimic the natural movement of a woman’s chest, and hollow-core foam, offering adaptable support that follows the movement of the female body. Natalie Gil, refinery29.com, 30 Apr. 2024 The center of the Milky Way is barely noticeable to the right of center in the map, just below a small blob that resembles a sideways figure eight. Dennis Overbye, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for figure eight 

Word History

First Known Use

1748, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of figure eight was in 1748

Dictionary Entries Near figure eight

Cite this Entry

“Figure eight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/figure%20eight. Accessed 13 Nov. 2024.

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