- being in a position or direction perpendicular to the plane of the horizon; upright; plumb.
- of, relating to, or situated at the vertex.
- of or relating to the cranial vertex.
- (of a leaf) having the blade in a perpendicular plane, so that neither of the surfaces can be called upper or lower.
- being in the same direction as the axis; lengthwise.
- of, constituting, or resulting in vertical combination.
- of or relating to a product or service from initial planning to sale.
- of, relating to, or noting a stratified society, nation, etc.
- something vertical, as a line or plane.
- a vertical or upright position.
- a vertical structural member in a truss.
Origin of vertical
SynonymsSee more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com
Examples from the Web for vertical
Two police assigned to the apartment on a detail were doing a “vertical patrol” up the stairs when the door opened.New York's Next Killer-Cop Grand Jury
December 6, 2014
They structured themselves not in vertical hierarchies but in networks, each member responding to conditions on the ground.How the NSA Became a Killing Machine
November 9, 2014
There was one very large and easily identifiable piece of debris floating, the vertical stabilizer.MH370 Debris Is Lost Forever, Can the Plane Be Found Without It?
September 7, 2014
The hybrid aircraft have a vertical takeoff and landing capability.U.S. Diplomats and Marines Close Embassy and Flee Libya Fighting
July 27, 2014
And yet Breitbart decided to commission him, of all available artists, to create the face of its California vertical.Breitbart Twerks Pelosi With Credibility-Destroying Ad
April 8, 2014
This consists of two sections, one horizontal, the other vertical.Flying Machines
W.J. Jackman and Thos. H. Russell
Vertical staving was used to carry the wale around the stern.The Migrations of an American Boat Type
Howard I. Chapelle
They had neither water nor provisions, and were exposed to a vertical sun.The Pirate and The Three Cutters
The worst form it can have is that of a vertical plane or upright flat, and next to this the worst form is an inclined plane.
About 15th January we crossed the sun, which for a short time was vertical at noon.Six Letters From the Colonies
- at right angles to the horizon; perpendicular; uprighta vertical wall Compare horizontal (def. 1)
- extending in a perpendicular direction
- at or in the vertex or zenith; directly overhead
- economics of or relating to associated or consecutive, though not identical, stages of industrial activityvertical integration; vertical amalgamation
- of or relating to the vertex
- anatomy of, relating to, or situated at the top of the head (vertex)
- a vertical plane, position, or line
- a vertical post, pillar, or other structural member
Word Origin and History for vertical
1550s, "of or at the vertex, directly overhead," from Middle French vertical (1540s), from Late Latin verticalis "overhead," from Latin vertex (genitive verticis) "highest point" (see vertex). Meaning "straight up and down" is first recorded 1704.
- Of or relating to the vertex of the head.
- Being or situated at right angles to the horizon; upright.