equator
noun
equa·tor
| \ i-ˈkwā-tər
, ˈē-ˌkwā-\
, ˈē-ˌkwā-\
Definition of equator
1
: the great circle of the celestial sphere whose plane is perpendicular to the axis of the earth
2
: a great circle of the earth or a celestial body that is everywhere equally distant from the two poles and divides the surface into the northern and southern hemispheres
3a
: a circle or circular band dividing the surface of a body into two usually equal and symmetrical parts
b
: equatorial plane
the equator of a dividing cell
4
: great circle
Examples of equator in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
LeConte Glacier near Petersburg is the farthest-south glacier that spills into the sea on this side of the equator. — Anchorage Daily News, "Extreme melting occurs where ocean meets glacier near Petersburg," 27 July 2019 Because of that, Altair is a lot wider at its equator than its poles. — Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, "Sky Watch: The great Summer Triangle will take you places," 21 July 2019 Suddenly, a fin of vapor protrudes from its equator, and the planet becomes something else. — Simon J. Lock, Scientific American, "When Earth and the Moon Were One," 2 July 2019 The second stage will fire twice more to achieve an orbit with a high point of around 7,455 miles and a low point of about 3,700, in the process changing the tilt of the orbit with respect to the equator. — William Harwood, CBS News, "SpaceX Falcon Heavy poised for dramatic night launch," 24 June 2019 What went where: Most — but not all — continental plates joined together in a rough C shape, centered around the equator. — Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, "Plate Tectonics: The Slow Dance of Our Planet's Crust," 12 June 2019 And south of the equator, Brazil will battle Peru for the Copa America championship. — Kevin Dotson, CNN, "The Women's World Cup final isn't the only big game this weekend. Keep your eyes on Wimbledon, the Tour De France and MLB," 5 July 2019 Simone Tilmes at the US National Centre for Atmospheric Research calculates that injections of SO2 at 15° and 30° north and south of the equator would produce a reasonably uniform global cooling. — The Economist, "Reaching for the sunshade: July 2030," 4 July 2019 This phenomenon — or the lack of it — also explains why there’s a hurricane-free zone within 5 degrees of the equator. — Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, "Hurricanes: How These Destructive Storms Form, and Why They Get So Strong," 26 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'equator.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for equator
equator
noun
equa·tor
| \ i-ˈkwā-tər
\
\
Kids Definition of equator
: an imaginary circle around the earth everywhere equally distant from the north pole and the south pole
equator
noun
equa·tor
| \ i-ˈkwāt-ər
, ˈē-ˌ
\
, ˈē-ˌ
\
Medical Definition of equator
1
: a circle or circular band dividing the surface of a body into two usually equal and symmetrical parts especially at the place of greatest width
the equator of the lens of the eye
2
: equatorial plane
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