dome

Everyday

1. A dome is a round roof shaped like half of a ball. tree →
2. A dome is anything shaped like half a ball, such as a rounded hill or the top of a head. tree →

In the lessons

In stories and history lessons domes sit on cathedrals, mosques, palaces and capitol buildings; in science and maths a dome is a half-sphere, a strong shape that spreads weight evenly. Phrases: «a glass dome», «a snow dome», «the dome of the sky».

Examples

• The cathedral has a huge golden dome. tree →
• We looked up at the painted ceiling inside the dome. tree →
• An igloo is a dome made of snow blocks. tree →
• The tent was shaped like a dome. tree →
• A dome is a strong shape because it spreads the weight all round. tree →
• The baby's head felt like a soft little dome. tree →
• The cake was covered with a clear plastic dome. tree →
• He went in, and there was a round cave, like the dome of St. Paul's. tree →

Note

Countable: a dome, two domes. Rhymes with «home»; do not confuse with «doom». A dome is three-dimensional; its flat outline is a semicircle, but the dome itself is half a sphere.