Word.ws English Dictionary

figure-eight

figure-eight is the alternative form of figure eight.

Meaning of figure eight

Noun

figure eight (plural figure eights)

  1. The shape consisting of two circles or ovals joined together at one point, resembling the numeral 8.
  2. A maneuver in which one rides, skates, or otherwise traces a path that forms a figure eight.
    • The bikers pop wheelies and execute speedy figure eights along the busy street. Still, something more purposeful than joyriding would seem to be on their minds.2018 February, Robert Draper, “They are Watching You—and Everything Else on the Planet: Technology and Our Increasing Demand for Security have Put Us All under Surveillance. Is Privacy Becoming just...
    Synonyms:
    figure of eight
  3. A species of puffer fish (Tetraodontidae).

Verb

figure-eight (third-person singular simple present figure-eights, present participle figure-eighting, simple past and past participle figure-eighted)

  1. To move or cause to move in a figure eight pattern.
    • For two minutes we figure-eighted back and forth across the face of the mountain and then popped out right beside the sidewalk café.1940, Raymond Chandler, Farewell, My Lovely, Penguin, published 2010, page 61
    • When he has been circled or figure-eighted enough times, he will become convinced that he is not to be asked to take the fence.1974, Harold Black, Manual of Horsemanship

Forms of figure-eight

Noun
pluralfigure-eights
Verb
third-person singular presentfigure-eights
present participlefigure-eighting
past participlefigure-eighted
pastfigure-eighted

Phrases with figure-eight

Questions about figure-eight

What does figure-eight mean?
Figure-eight means to move or cause to move in a figure eight pattern.
What is figure-eight the alternative form of?
Figure-eight is the alternative form of figure eight.
What part of speech is figure-eight?
Figure-eight is a verb.
What is the past tense of figure-eight?
The past tense of figure-eight is figure-eighted.

Words near figure-eight in the dictionary

  1. figure spaces
  2. figure up
  3. figure weaving
  4. figure-caster
  5. figure-casters
  6. figure-eight
  7. figure-eight hitch
  8. figure-eight hitches
  9. figure-eighted
  10. figure-eighting
  11. figure-eights

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: figure-eight (page history and authors); figure eight (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Cite this entry: “figure-eight.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/figure-eight. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.