black hole

noun

1
: a celestial object that has a gravitational field so strong that light cannot escape it and that is believed to be created especially in the collapse of a very massive star
2
: something resembling a black hole: such as
a
: something that consumes a resource continually
a financial black hole
b
: an empty space : void
… the archives of the past few years are a black hole.David Herman
c
: a dark and seemingly inescapable state or situation
the black hole of depression

Examples of black hole in a Sentence

discovered that there was a black hole in the library's collection with regard to her topic
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.
Tracking changes in a black hole over time In 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope announced the first direct image ever taken of a black hole at the center of an elliptical galaxy, Messier 87 (M87), located in the constellation of Virgo some 55 million light-years away. Ars Technica, 31 Jan. 2025 Not a black hole kind of nothing, which can be mathematically measured and verified. Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 24 Jan. 2025 So far, the VLT has allowed astronomers to trace orbits of stars in the nearest vicinity of the black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy, taken the first ever image of a planet outside the solar system and uncovered the elusive cosmic web that sprawls across the entire cosmos. Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 18 Jan. 2025 Astronomers detect rapid X-ray flashes around black hole Between 2022 and 2024, MIT astronomers led by Masterson detected rapid X-ray flashes originating from the black hole in which the brightness repeatedly rose and fell by 10% every few minutes. Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 14 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for black hole 

Word History

First Known Use

1964, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of black hole was in 1964

Dictionary Entries Near black hole

Cite this Entry

“Black hole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/black%20hole. Accessed 11 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

black hole

noun
: an invisible region believed to exist in space having a very strong gravitational field and thought to be caused by the collapse of a star

More from Merriam-Webster on black hole

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