horizontally

Everyday

In a flat, level direction, from side to side, like the horizon or a line lying down. tree →

In the lessons

In maths, a line drawn horizontally goes left–right across the page; the x-axis is horizontal. In tables and grids, rows go horizontally and columns go vertically. In crosswords «across» clues go horizontally. In science, water in a level tube lies horizontally. In art, folding paper horizontally means top to bottom fold so the crease runs side to side.

Examples

• Draw a line horizontally across the page. tree →
• Rows in a table go horizontally. tree →
• Fold the paper horizontally in half. tree →
• The x-axis runs horizontally. tree →
• Lay the bottle horizontally in the fridge. tree →
• The flag has three stripes going horizontally. tree →
• Read the grid horizontally first, then vertically. tree →

Note

From horizontal + -ly. Opposite: vertically (up and down). Memory trick: the horizon is flat and goes side to side. In maths problems, «move 3 squares horizontally» means change the x-coordinate by 3, not the y.