rhomboid

1 of 2

noun

rhom·​boid ˈräm-ˌbȯid How to pronounce rhomboid (audio)
: a parallelogram with no right angles and with adjacent sides of unequal length

Illustration of rhomboid

Illustration of rhomboid

rhomboid

2 of 2

adjective

rhom·​boid ˈräm-ˌbȯid How to pronounce rhomboid (audio)
variants or rhomboidal
: shaped somewhat like a rhombus or rhomboid

Did you know?

Rhomboids, like triangles, may take various different shapes, but they always look like a lopsided diamond or rectangle. As both a noun and an adjective, rhomboid can be applied to anything with those shapes, such as certain muscles of the upper back when viewed from behind. Whenever you hear about rhomboid exercises, rhomboid strain, or rhomboid pain, it involves those muscles, which attach your shoulder blades to your spine and can be strained by carrying a heavy backpack, serving a tennis ball, or just slumping in your chair in front of a computer all day.

Examples of rhomboid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
These include your latissimus dorsi (lats, the broadest of your back muscles), rear deltoids (a shoulder muscle), rhomboids (upper back muscles), and biceps (upper arm muscles). Jenny McCoy, SELF, 17 Jan. 2024 On the other hand, pulling exercises target the back of your body, like your lats, lower traps, and rhomboids, while your biceps help it along. Amy Marturana Winderl, SELF, 19 Dec. 2023 At the same time, a new generation of tanks had replaced the slow, clumsy rhomboids and toy-like vehicles of World War I. Popular Mechanics, 17 Aug. 2023 To avoid that, tighten both your lats and rhomboids. Men's Health, 11 July 2023 There was her stained glass version, among other oblong wise men and faceless, rhomboid Baby Jesuses. Aj Willingham, CNN, 3 Dec. 2022 To strengthen the rotator cuff, middle trapezius and rhomboid muscles HOW: Hold an exercise band with an underhand grip with your elbows bent to 90-degrees. Jon-Erik Kawamoto, Outside Online, 6 Nov. 2019 Even their origin story has seemed uncertain since the 1997 discovery of a prehistoric Indonesian cave painting of what appears to be a floating rhomboid. New York Times, 29 Sep. 2021 The iconic John Hancock Tower, a 62-story rhomboid sheathed in mirrored glass that reflects the sky and the buildings around it, was once deemed to be at risk of literally falling down. BostonGlobe.com, 25 June 2021
Adjective
Rowing with heavier loads elicits more muscle growth in your middle and lower traps, rhomboid major, rhomboid minor, upper traps, rear deltoids, and rotator cuff muscles. Tony Gentilcore, Men's Health, 30 Nov. 2022 Rest is the initial plan for outfielder Max Kepler, who missed much of September because of a rhomboid strain — although Falvey said that Kepler will see a specialist. Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 9 Oct. 2019 McIlroy said the injury is to a rhomboid muscle on the left side of his body. Rick Bonnell, charlotteobserver, 13 Aug. 2017 McIlroy, 28, punctuated a quiet week with a 68, his first sub-70 round of the tournament, and then said a lingering rib injury — a spasming left rhomboid muscle, to be precise — could sideline him indefinitely. Karen Crouse, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rhomboid.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle French rhomboïde, from Latin rhomboides, from Greek rhomboeidēs resembling a rhombus, from rhombos

First Known Use

Noun

1570, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1681, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rhomboid was in 1570

Dictionary Entries Near rhomboid

Cite this Entry

“Rhomboid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rhomboid. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

rhomboid

noun
rhom·​boid
ˈräm-ˌbȯid
: a parallelogram with no right angles and with each side differing in length from the two other sides it comes in contact with
rhomboid adjective
rhomboidal
räm-ˈbȯid-ᵊl
adjective
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!