What does "angle" mean?
A figure formed by two rays which start from a common point (a plane angle) or by three planes that intersect (a solid angle).
Angle
/ˈæŋ.ɡəl/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A figure formed by two rays which start from a common point (a plane angle) or by three planes that intersect (a solid angle).
- Grammar: angle is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: corner, action, aim, aim.
- Usage evidence: Let's approach this problem from a different angle.
How to use "angle"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "angle" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "angle" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "angle" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "angle" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "angle" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "corner" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "angle", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A figure formed by two rays which start from a common point (a plane angle) or by three planes that intersect (a solid angle).
"the angle between lines A and B"
- 2 A fishhook; tackle for catching fish, consisting of a line, hook, and bait, with or without a rod.
"Give me mine angle: we'll to the river there."
- 3 A member of a Germanic tribe first mentioned by Tacitus, one of several which invaded Britain and merged to become the Anglo-Saxons; an Anglian. historical
- 4 a biased way of looking at or presenting something wordnet
- 5 The measure of such a figure. In the case of a plane angle, this is the ratio (or proportional to the ratio) of the arc length to the radius of a section of a circle cut by the two rays, centered at their common point. In the case of a solid angle, this is the ratio of the surface area to the square of the radius of the section of a sphere.
"The angle between lines A and B is π/4 radians, or 45 degrees."
Show 11 more definitions
- 6 a member of a Germanic people who conquered England and merged with the Saxons and Jutes to become Anglo-Saxons wordnet
- 7 A corner where two walls intersect.
"an angle of a building"
- 8 the space between two lines or planes that intersect; the inclination of one line to another; measured in degrees or radians wordnet
- 9 A change in direction.
"The horse took off at an angle."
- 10 A viewpoint; a way of looking at something.
"In his first book since the 2008 essay collection Natural Acts: A Sidelong View of Science and Nature, David Quammen looks at the natural world from yet another angle: the search for the next human pandemic, what epidemiologists call “the next big one.”"
- 11 The focus of a news story.
- 12 Any of various hesperiid butterflies.
- 13 A storyline between two wrestlers, providing the background for and approach to a feud. slang
- 14 An ulterior motive; a scheme or means of benefiting from a situation, usually hidden, often immoral. slang
"His angle is that he gets a percentage, but mostly in trade."
- 15 A projecting or sharp corner; an angular fragment.
"though but an angle reached him of the stone"
- 16 Any of the four cardinal points of an astrological chart: the Ascendant, the Midheaven, the Descendant and the Imum Coeli.
Verb
- 1 To place (something) at an angle. transitive
"The roof is angled at 15 degrees."
- 2 To try to catch fish with a hook and line. intransitive
- 3 present with a bias wordnet
- 4 To change direction rapidly. informal, intransitive
"The five ball angled off the nine ball but failed to reach the pocket."
- 5 To attempt to subtly persuade someone to offer a desired thing. figuratively, informal
"He must be angling for a pay rise."
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 fish with a hook wordnet
- 7 To present or argue something in a particular way or from a particular viewpoint. informal, transitive
"How do you want to angle this when we talk to the client?"
- 8 seek indirectly wordnet
- 9 To hamper (oneself or one's opponent) by leaving the cue ball in the jaws of a pocket such that the surround of the pocket (the "angle") blocks the path from cue ball to object ball. transitive
- 10 to incline or bend from a vertical position wordnet
- 11 move or proceed at an angle wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Let's approach this problem from a different angle."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "angle"?
Common synonyms include: corner, action, aim, aim, anagnorisis, angle for.
How do you use "angle" in a sentence?
Let's approach this problem from a different angle.
How do you pronounce "angle"?
Pronounced /ˈæŋ.ɡəl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English angle, angul, angule, borrowed from Middle French angle, from Latin angulus, anglus (“corner, remote area”). Cognate with Old High German ancha (“nape of the neck”), Middle High German anke (“joint of the foot, nape of neck”). Doublet of angulus and ankle.
Etymology 2
From Middle English anglen (“to meet at an angle, converge”), from the noun (see above).
Etymology 3
From Middle English angel (“fishhook”), from Old English angel (“hook, fishhook”), from Proto-West Germanic *angul, from Proto-Germanic *angulaz (“hook”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂enk- (“to make crooked, bend”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Ongle (“fishhook; fishing pole”), West Frisian angel (“fishing rod, stinger”), Dutch angel (“fishhook”), German Angel (“fishing pole”), Luxembourgish Aangel (“fishing rod”), Icelandic öngull (“fishhook”), Norwegian Nynorsk angel, ongel, ongul (“fishhook”), Swedish angel (“pike hook”), Prasuni uku (“shoulder”).
Etymology 4
From Middle English anglen (“to fish, fish with a hook”, literally “to fish-hook”), perhaps from Old English *anglian, from Proto-West Germanic *anglōn (“to hook”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian ongelje (“to fish, angle”), Dutch hengelen (“to fish, angle”), German Low German angeln (“to fish, angle”), German angeln (“to fish, angle”).
Etymology 5
Borrowed from Latin Anglus, in turn borrowed from a Germanic source (compare Old English Ængle/Engle (“Angle”)). Probably derived from the toponym Angle, related to Proto-Germanic *anguz "narrow, tight; tapering", either indicating the "narrow" water (i.e. the Schlei estuary), or the shape of the peninsula. Folk etymology linking the word to English angel or any antecedents is demonstrably false.