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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Examples of ellipse in a Sentence
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Recent Examples on the Web
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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These events create the best aurora, and the extended auroral oval will be observable by most people.Jamie Carter, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024
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Martinsville Speedway holds a significant place in NASCAR history and is renowned for its tight, half-mile oval configuration that frequently pushes drivers to their limits.David Faris, Newsweek, 2 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Whisking constantly, slowly add 1 cup of the hot broth to the egg mixture to temper.Kelly Brant, arkansasonline.com, 6 Nov. 2024
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Veterans can enjoy an Egg McMuffin or bacon egg cheese biscuit, along with a hash brown and any size soft drink, tea, or coffee.Gege Reed, The Courier-Journal, 6 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The stunts start with acrobats somersaulting on a thin strip of springy tape and the highlight comes when a giant orb is lowered from above and suspended in mid-air.Caroline Reid, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
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Bremer mixes antique touches, like a clawfoot tub, with futuristic ones: smack dab in the middle of the living room hangs a fire orb.Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 3 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Ellipse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ellipse. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.
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