Oblate

Imagine you have a ball that is squished on the top and bottom, kind of like a pancake. That is what we call an oblate shape. It's not quite a sphere because it's flatter on the top and bottom.

Scientists use the term oblate when they want to describe the shape of planets or stars. These objects are very big and heavy, so gravity pulls them into a round shape. But some planets, like Saturn, spin really fast, and that can cause them to become oblate. The force from the spinning makes the planet bulge out more on the equator (the middle part) and flatten at the poles (the top and bottom).

So basically, oblate means something that is flattened like a pancake instead of being round like a ball!