horizontal
adjective
hor·i·zon·tal
ˌhȯr-ə-ˈzän-tᵊl 
ˌhär-
1
2
: relating to, directed toward, or consisting of individuals or entities of similar status or on the same level
horizontal mergers
horizontal hostility
3
medical
: relating to or being transmission (as of a disease) by physical contact or proximity in contrast with inheritance
Genes are normally inherited from parents, but they can also be inserted into a genome by viruses, plasmids, and other foreign agents—a phenomenon called horizontal transfer.—
Stephan Reebs
compare vertical sense 4
Stephan Reebs
horizontal
noun
Examples of horizontal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Infused with tightening technology and proprietary peptides, this high-tech cream minimizes the appearance of horizontal lines and creases in the neck.
—Jenny Berg, Vogue, 19 Apr. 2024
The three urban stigmata of the Seventies were dog turds on horizontal surfaces, graffiti on vertical ones, and blasting music in the ether.
—David Harsanyi, National Review, 18 Apr. 2024
At about a hundred feet, the aircraft shifted to horizontal flight.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
These counties border each other in a horizontal line in the eastern part of the state, immediately east of Jefferson City.
—Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 10 Apr. 2024
The drill holes were mainly placed in step-out rows subparallel to the 2017-2018 drilling, oriented with azimuths 230 - 260, generally inclined at minus 65 degrees from horizontal.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Mar. 2024
During the event, two heliostats with moveable mirrors were used to direct images of the eclipsed Sun into a pair of horizontal telescopes.
—Rebecca Boyle, TIME, 8 Apr. 2024
Previously, clicking on a video in the Facebook app may have pulled up a horizontal video, or one that played in a Feed-like player.
—Bailey Schulz, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
Reducing Bathroom Fall Risks Walter’s advice for preventing bathroom falls included non-slip tile, assist bars (both horizontal and vertical) in and around showers, plus assist bars that double as towel bars.
—Jamie Gold, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Jenny Berg, Vogue, 19 Apr. 2024
The three urban stigmata of the Seventies were dog turds on horizontal surfaces, graffiti on vertical ones, and blasting music in the ether.
—David Harsanyi, National Review, 18 Apr. 2024
At about a hundred feet, the aircraft shifted to horizontal flight.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
These counties border each other in a horizontal line in the eastern part of the state, immediately east of Jefferson City.
—Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 10 Apr. 2024
The drill holes were mainly placed in step-out rows subparallel to the 2017-2018 drilling, oriented with azimuths 230 - 260, generally inclined at minus 65 degrees from horizontal.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Mar. 2024
During the event, two heliostats with moveable mirrors were used to direct images of the eclipsed Sun into a pair of horizontal telescopes.
—Rebecca Boyle, TIME, 8 Apr. 2024
Previously, clicking on a video in the Facebook app may have pulled up a horizontal video, or one that played in a Feed-like player.
—Bailey Schulz, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
Reducing Bathroom Fall Risks Walter’s advice for preventing bathroom falls included non-slip tile, assist bars (both horizontal and vertical) in and around showers, plus assist bars that double as towel bars.
—Jamie Gold, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'horizontal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near horizontal
Cite this Entry
“Horizontal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/horizontal. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
horizontal
adjective
hor·i·zon·tal
ˌhȯr-ə-ˈzänt-ᵊl, ˌhär-
1
: relating to or being a transverse plane or section of the body
2
a
: relating to or being transmission (as of a disease) by physical contact or proximity in contrast with inheritance compare vertical
b
: of or relating to horizontal gene transfer
Legal Definition
horizontal
adjective
hor·i·zon·tal
ˌhȯr-ə-ˈzän-təl, ˌhär-
: relating to, directed toward, or consisting of individuals or entities of similar status or on the same level
horizontally
adverb
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share