1
: an oval figure or object
2
: a racetrack in the shape of an oval or a rectangle having rounded corners
: having the shape of an egg
also
: broadly elliptical
Examples of oval in a Sentence
Noun
The racetrack is an oval.
Adjective
the Oval Office in the White House
Recent Examples on the Web
Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
Last-lap wrecks taking out the leader and altering the race’s result may not be what some want to see, but that is life in a sport with 40 cars racing around an oval at high speeds, all with a ton of incentive to cross the finish line first.
—Jordan Bianchi, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025
Benjamin C Tankersley, Washington Post, 1 Feb. 2023
This simple opener works well on circular cans but may not be effective on dented, square, or oval cans.
—Maya Polton, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 Jan. 2023
See All Example Sentences for oval
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Noun
The plan was already beginning to emerge on a sheet of Mylar graph paper—an oval, surrounded by arrows, with a handful of anomalous objects marked.
—Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
Last-lap wrecks taking out the leader and altering the race’s result may not be what some want to see, but that is life in a sport with 40 cars racing around an oval at high speeds, all with a ton of incentive to cross the finish line first.
—Jordan Bianchi, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
The Kohler Sunstruck oval tub is standard in the primary bathroom if this layout is chosen.
—Benjamin C Tankersley, Washington Post, 1 Feb. 2023
This simple opener works well on circular cans but may not be effective on dented, square, or oval cans.
—Maya Polton, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 Jan. 2023
See All Example Sentences for oval
Cite this Entry
“Oval.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oval. Accessed 28 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
oval
1 of 2 noun
: an oval figure or object
oval
2 of 2 adjective
: having the shape or outline of an egg
Etymology
Adjective
from Latin ovalis (adjective) "having the shape of an egg," derived from earlier ovum "egg"
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