surface area

noun

: the amount of area covered by the surface of something
The lake has roughly the same surface area as 10 football fields.

Examples of surface area in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The main challenge is that wings offer considerable surface area but have relatively thin cross-sections, limiting the volume available for radar hardware. — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026 Danyl Bosomworth, founder of ice bath brand Brass Monkey, told The Independent that women tend to carry a higher body fat percentage, a smaller body surface area to volume ratio and a lower resting metabolic rate. — Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026 Open-water approaches may be cheaper to scale and can take advantage of the ocean’s enormous surface area. — Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026 When a piece of plastic breaks down into microscopically small components, its total surface area goes up exponentially. — Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for surface area

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Surface area.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surface%20area. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster