oval

American  

[oh-vuhl] / ˈoʊ vəl /

adjective

1. having the general form, shape, or outline of an egg; egg-shaped.

2. ellipsoidal or elliptical.

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noun

1. an object of oval shape.

2. a body or plane figure that is oval in shape or outline.

3. an elliptical field or a field on which an elliptical track is laid out, as for athletic contests.

4. Informal. a football.

oval ¹ British  

/ ˈəʊvəl, əʊˈvælɪtɪ /

adjective

1. having the shape of an ellipse or ellipsoid

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noun

1. anything that is oval in shape, such as a sports ground

Oval ² British  

/ ˈəʊvəl /

noun

1. a cricket ground in south London, in the borough of Lambeth

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Other Word Forms

• half-oval adjective
• ovally adverb
• ovalness noun
• pseudooval adjective
• pseudoovally adverb
• semioval adjective
• semiovally adverb
• semiovalness noun

Etymology

Origin of oval

1560–70; < New Latin ōvālis, equivalent to Latin ōv ( um ) egg ¹ + -ālis -al ¹

Example Sentences

Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie told parliament that the government was confident that greyhound racing "on oval tracks exposes dogs to significant risks that cannot be eliminated by other measures".

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

Detecting such an oval orbit in this type of event has not been reported before.

From Science Daily • Mar. 12, 2026

The new analysis corrects those measurements and finds no strong evidence for precession, suggesting the oval orbit likely originated during the system's formation rather than being caused by spin effects.

From Science Daily • Mar. 12, 2026

“The problem with an oval table is there’s an implicit hierarchy between people sitting at the center and people sitting at the edges,” said Knot.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 21, 2026

All the players on the hometown team tapped the oval icon for Flint.

From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein

Related Words

• elliptical