contour

noun · verb

Simple meaning

A line on a map or chart delineating those points which have the same altitude or other plotted quantity: a contour line or isopleth.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

kahntuur

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈkɑntʊɹ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

A line on a map or chart delineating those points which have the same altitude or other plotted quantity: a contour line or isopleth; (metonymically) the landform or its surface.
A line drawn on a map connecting points of equal height
An outline, boundary or border, usually of curved shape.
figurative
A general description giving the most important points.

verb

transitive
To form a more or less curved boundary or border upon.
figurative
To shape conditions regarding salient points.
Form the contours of
transitive
To mark with contour lines.
intransitive
To practise the makeup technique of contouring.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency: Moderately Common
Typical Use: Neutral / general English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A line on a map or chart delineating those points which have the same altitude or other plotted quantity: a contour line or isopleth; (metonymically) the landform or its surface.

Used this way, contour is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This sense is used where position and measurement matter — travel, weather and flight — so it reads as factual rather than emotive.

Emotional tone: Neutral
Formality: Neutral
Intensity: Not strongly marked
How common: Moderately common
Connotation: Matter-of-fact
Usage feel: Neutral and straightforward

Where it naturally appears

Geography/travel
Weather/aviation
Technical/specialist writing

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use contour

“The low drag contour of a modern automobile.”noun

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Line / mark

contour mapcontour intervalcontour line

General

general contour

Other combinations

pitch contourcontour plotfoot contourclosed contour

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

contour feathernounCompound term
Feathers covering the body of an adult bird and determining its shape.
contour languagenounCompound term
A tone language that uses pitch changes.
contour linenounCompound term
A line drawn on a map connecting points of equal height.
contour mapnounCompound term
A map having contour lines through points of equal elevation.
contour sheetnounCompound term
A sheet (usually with elastic edges) tailored to fit a particular mattress.
pitch contournounCompound term
Rise and fall of the voice pitch.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: line on a map

contour lineconfiguration

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.