sphere
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A three-dimensional closed surface such that every point on the surface is equidistant from the center.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
sfirIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈsfɪɹ
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.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
mathematics
A three-dimensional closed surface such that every point on the surface is equidistant from the center
mathematics
A surface in three dimensions consisting of all points equidistant from a center.
geometry
The set of all points in three-dimensional Euclidean space (or n-dimensional space, in topology) that are a fixed distance from a fixed point.
An object which appears to be bounded by a sphere; a round object, a ball.
figuratively
The region in which something or someone is active; one's province, domain.
The natural, normal, or proper place (of something).
verb
transitive
To make round or spherical; to perfect.
transitive
To place in a sphere, or among the spheres; to ensphere.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- General and technical use
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: An object which appears to be bounded by a sphere; a round object, a ball.
Used this way, sphere is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- welkin , rarer, so it draws attention
- empyrean , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use sphere
- “His social sphere is limited.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
Related to A three-dimensional closed surface such that every point on the surface is equidistant from the center.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
The geographical area in which one nation is very influential.
A celestial globe consisting of metal hoops.
The apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected.
An inaudible music that Pythagoras thought was produced by the celestial.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
A figure on the surface of a sphere bounded by arcs of 3 or more great circles.
A freely moving joint in which a sphere on the head of one bone fits into a rounded cavity in the other bone.
The geometry of figures on the surface of a sphere.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: three-dimensional closed surface such that every point on the surface is equidistant from the center
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Words can change meaning depending on context.
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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.