equatorial
adjective
equa·to·ri·al
ˌē-kwə-ˈtȯr-ē-əl 
ˌe-kwə-
1
a
: of, relating to, or located at the equator or an equator
also
: being in the plane of the equator
a satellite in equatorial orbit
b
: of, originating in, or suggesting the region around the geographic equator
2
a
: being or having a support that includes two axles at right angles to each other with one parallel to the earth's axis of rotation
an equatorial telescope mount
b
: extending in a direction essentially in the plane of a cyclic structure (as of cyclohexane)
equatorial hydrogens
compare axial
Examples of equatorial in a Sentence
a lush equatorial rain forest that is threatened by rampant development
Recent Examples on the Web
Unusual bone bed reveals a vertebrate community with pterosaurs and turtles in equatorial Pangaea before the end-Triassic extinction.
—
Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 July 2025
Shady Big Pharma hotshot Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend) spares no expense in recruiting amoral special-ops vet Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson) and pragmatic paleontologist Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey) for a suicide mission to the off-limits equatorial habitat of Ile Saint-Hubert.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 30 June 2025
In this case, the combatants are, to one side, a group of 100 unspecified men — and, on the other, a single gorilla, one of those noble herbivorous great apes found in equatorial Africa.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 29 Apr. 2025
Over several generations the butterflies can fly up to 9,300 miles annually from Scandinavia to equatorial Africa and back.
—Jesse Greenspan, Scientific American, 13 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for equatorial
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Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 July 2025
Shady Big Pharma hotshot Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend) spares no expense in recruiting amoral special-ops vet Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson) and pragmatic paleontologist Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey) for a suicide mission to the off-limits equatorial habitat of Ile Saint-Hubert.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 30 June 2025
In this case, the combatants are, to one side, a group of 100 unspecified men — and, on the other, a single gorilla, one of those noble herbivorous great apes found in equatorial Africa.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 29 Apr. 2025
Over several generations the butterflies can fly up to 9,300 miles annually from Scandinavia to equatorial Africa and back.
—Jesse Greenspan, Scientific American, 13 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for equatorial
Cite this Entry
“Equatorial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/equatorial. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
equatorial
adjective
equa·to·ri·al
ˌē-kwə-ˈtōr-ē-əl
ˌek-wə-,
-ˈtȯr-
1
: of, relating to, or located at the equator
2
: of, originating in, or suggesting the region around the equator
equatorial heat
Medical Definition
equatorial
adjective
equa·to·ri·al
ˌē-kwə-ˈtōr-ē-əl
ˌek-wə-
ˌek-wə-
-ˈtȯr-
1
: of, located at, or relating to an equator
equatorial diameter
2
: extending in a direction essentially in the plane of a cyclic structure (as of cyclohexane)
equatorial hydrogen atoms
compare axial sense 2b
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