sphere
/sfɪə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /sfɪr/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈsfir/ (ame, mw)
sphere — noun
- spheresingular
- spheresplural
1. a shape in three dimensions whose outer surface curves smoothly, with all parts
a shape in three dimensions whose outer surface curves smoothly, with all parts sitting equally far from the middle point
Dewi carefully rolled the clay into a perfect sphere for the sculpture class.
collocation: perfect sphere; rolled into a sphere
The Earth is not a perfect sphere, because it is slightly wider at the equator.
topic: Earth as a sphere
In the maths lesson, each student was given a wooden sphere to measure.
Yuki polished the steel sphere until it shone like a mirror in the afternoon sun.
- cube
a solid with flat square faces, the opposite of round
用法筆記
In geometry, 'sphere' technically refers only to the surface, not the solid inside. In everyday use, however, people use it for the whole round object.
常見錯誤
2. a particular field of knowledge, work, interest, or influence in which someone i
a particular field of knowledge, work, interest, or influence in which someone is active or has power
Femi moved into the sphere of public health after working in a rural clinic.
pattern: sphere of [field]
The two countries agreed to respect each other's sphere of influence in the region.
idiom: sphere of influence
Anna's sphere of responsibility grew quickly after she was promoted to team leader.
Technology has expanded the sphere of what is possible in modern medicine.
文法句型
sphere of + noun
用法筆記
Often paired with 'of': sphere of influence, sphere of activity, sphere of interest. The noun before 'of' names the kind of sphere.
常見錯誤
3. the sky imagined as a large round dome above the earth, on which the sun, moon,
the sky imagined as a large round dome above the earth, on which the sun, moon, stars, and planets seem to move
Ancient astronomers mapped the stars onto a great celestial sphere surrounding the Earth.
compound: celestial sphere
Christopher spent hours studying the celestial sphere through his telescope on clear nights.
The celestial sphere appears to rotate once each night as the Earth turns beneath it.
Navigators in the past relied on the celestial sphere to find their way across oceans.
用法筆記
In modern astronomy, 'celestial sphere' describes an imaginary sphere of any size around the Earth used for mapping star positions. It is NOT a physical object.
常見錯誤
sphere — verb
- spherepresent simple I / you / we / they
- spheres3rd person singular
- sphering-ing form
- spheredpast simple
1. to surround something completely or place it within a round enclosure, as if put
to surround something completely or place it within a round enclosure, as if putting it inside a ball
The ancient temple was sphered by layers of mist that hid it from travellers below.
passive: was sphered by
In the poem, the hero's soul is sphered within a globe of golden light.
literary register
The artist sphered the sculpture in a clear case to protect it from dust.
Kabir imagined his whole world sphered inside a single glass marble.
文法句型
be + sphere + by/in + noun
用法筆記
This sense is extremely rare in modern everyday English. You will most often encounter it in poetry, older literature, or highly formal descriptive writing.
2. to give something a perfectly round ball-like shape, usually by rolling, pressin
to give something a perfectly round ball-like shape, usually by rolling, pressing, or moulding
The glassblower sphered the molten material with a few careful turns of the rod.
technical register: glassblowing
Beatrix sphered the dough between her palms before placing it on the baking tray.
Using gentle pressure, the potter sphered the lump of wet clay on the wheel.
The chef sphered the sauce into tiny droplets using a special tool.
文法句型
sphere + noun + into + noun
用法筆記
Far more common alternatives in everyday English include 'roll into a ball', 'shape into a sphere', or 'make round'. The verb 'sphere' itself is quite rare.
sphere — combining form
1. a surrounding layer, zone, or region that envelops a planet or star, as in atmos
a surrounding layer, zone, or region that envelops a planet or star, as in atmosphere, biosphere, or stratosphere
The biosphere includes all living things on Earth and the environments they inhabit.
example of combining form: biosphere
Pollution in the atmosphere affects the quality of air that people breathe every day.
Henrik's research focuses on how the hydrosphere interacts with the land surface.
The stratosphere is the layer of the atmosphere where commercial aircraft usually fly.
用法筆記
This is not a standalone word — it appears as the second part of compound nouns (e.g. atmosphere, biosphere, lithosphere). The first part names what the layer consists of (atmo- = air, bio- = life, litho- = rock).
2. the whole group or total realm of something, as in blogosphere (the world of blo
the whole group or total realm of something, as in blogosphere (the world of blogs) or noosphere (the world of human thought)
News of the scandal spread quickly across the entire blogosphere within a few hours.
example: blogosphere
Lucía's photography won praise right across the artosphere of online galleries.
The Twitterverse and the blogosphere reacted very differently to the same announcement.
Eli's posts about vintage cameras sparked debates across the photography blogosphere.
用法筆記
This is a productive combining form: new words are created often, especially online (e.g. podcastosphere, subredditosphere). The meaning is always 'the whole world of X'.