oblong

1 of 2

adjective

ob·​long ˈä-ˌblȯŋ How to pronounce oblong (audio)
: deviating from a square, circular, or spherical form by elongation in one dimension
an oblong piece of paper
an oblong melon
see leaf illustration

oblong

2 of 2

noun

: something that is oblong
These paintings, predominately black with vertical or horizontal bisections of white mixed with streaks of red, blue, or ochre, are reminiscent of … Mark Rothko's irradiated oblongs.The New Yorker

Did you know?

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

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Hopewell Ear Ornaments Accession Year: 1893 Description: These oblong ear ornaments made of shell were part of the Field Museum’s exhibit on objects from the Hopewell mounds, a series of earthen structures in Ohio that were estimated to have been built between 1,600 and 2,000 years ago. Julia Jacobs, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2024 By January, the engineers built an oblong metal clamp that attached to the container’s rim, which allowed an operator to lower a screwdriver-like head onto the fastener. Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 31 Jan. 2024 Playoff football is played in nasty elements with an oblong ball. Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 18 Jan. 2024 In the Latest 7 Days, 7 Looks, Nicola and Brooklyn Peltz Beckham Take Couple-Style to a Whole New Level Exaggerated handbag silhouettes will continue to reign supreme throughout 2024, especially oblong shapes like Gucci’s Horsebit chain bag that Rihanna clutched tightly in her arms. Alexis Bennett Parker, Vogue, 5 Dec. 2023 Viewers proceed from the hall to a den-like space with oblong bean bags for Part 2 of the exhibition: a 53-minute documentary created by Laser with the French journalist Laura Geisswiller. Rachel Sherman Lanna Apisukh, New York Times, 13 Nov. 2023 The lodge's six villas, shaped like oblong orbs with thatched roofs, are an intriguing blend of sci-fi and rustic; their sinuous balconies flow with nature rather than defy it. Noo Saro-Wiwa, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Oct. 2023 Each egg is oblong and about half a millimeter long. Stephanie Nolen and Eleanor Lutz. Photography and Video By Federico Rios Escobar For The New York Times. Eleanor Lutz, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2023 Wayfarers, meanwhile, are best left to oval, oblong, and round faces, while round glasses conversely frame rectangular and oval-shaped faces best. Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 23 Aug. 2023
Noun
But the biggest blob, a red oblong smear, stretches out over the Los Angeles valley like molten lava. Malia Wollan, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2024 The menu includes some of the most recognizable breakfast items from McDonald’s, including the Egg McMuffin, the Sausage McMuffin and hash browns — only the latter now come in nugget-like pieces instead of the classic oblong patty. Emily Heil, Washington Post, 8 Dec. 2023 Because their intestinal valves are spiral shaped, these fish produce (and produced) distinctive oblong coils, many of which have turned up in sediments from the Paleozoic (570 million to 245 million years ago) and Mesozoic (245 million to 65 million years ago). Karen Wright, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019 Plus, the two main compartments have fixed loops to keep bottles or other oblong items from shifting while in transit. Dorian Smith-Garcia, Travel + Leisure, 26 Oct. 2023 But for years, experts warned that Titan’s nonstandard oblong shape and experimental carbon fiber composite were too dangerous to make multiple 12,500-foot dives to the ocean floor. Jonathan Edwards, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2023 What Could Be Better The oblong shape can take up more storage space. Nor'adila Hepburn, Southern Living, 27 Sep. 2023 His behavior is a noticeable change for the Russian president, who cultivated extreme seclusion during the pandemic, forcing visiting leaders to sit at the opposite end of giant oblong tables and requiring people to quarantine for up to two weeks to see him. Paul Sonne, New York Times, 5 Aug. 2023 The oblong bars, coated in dark or milk chocolate and pebbled with almonds, have centers of ganachelike filling riddled with pieces of buttery toffee. Florence Fabricant, New York Times, 20 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'oblong.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English oblonge, oblong, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French oblonge, borrowed from Latin oblongus "of greater length than breadth," from ob-, perhaps in sense "facing, against" + longus "having linear extent, long" — more at ob-, long entry 1

Noun

derivative of oblong entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1590, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of oblong was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near oblong

Cite this Entry

“Oblong.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oblong. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

oblong

1 of 2 adjective
ob·​long
ˈäb-ˌlȯŋ
: longer in one direction than in the other
an oblong shoe box
an oblong watermelon

oblong

2 of 2 noun
: an oblong figure or object
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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