gamma-ray burst
noun
gam·ma-ray burst
ˈga-mə-ˈrā- 
variants
or less commonly gamma ray burst
plural gamma-ray bursts also gamma ray bursts
: a brief, powerful jet of gamma rays detected deep in space that is generated by the collapse and explosion of a celestial object
… researchers … have discovered a gamma-ray burst (GRB) approximately 2.4 billion light-years away in the constellation Sagitta that ranks as the brightest ever observed.—
Russ Nelson
Russ NelsonEventually, though, the neutron star slows down, probably because of magnetic braking. Then it implodes, touching off a gamma ray burst.—Govert Schilling
—abbreviation GRB
Govert SchillingExamples of gamma-ray burst in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This causes a blast of high-energy radiation called a gamma-ray burst (GRB), a final screech of gravitational waves, and sends out a spray of neutron-rich matter, which allows a process to occur that generates very heavy but unstable elements.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Astronomers first spotted this primordial supernova in March, thanks to a 10-second-long flash of high-energy light known as a gamma-ray burst.
—Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, 9 Dec. 2025
The search for a distant galaxy On July 2, NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope detected the succession of four gamma-ray bursts from a similar region of the sky, drawing the attention of astronomers who wondered if they could all be linked to the same source, said Martin-Carrillo.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2025
Transient candidates included Population III supernovae and the ultraviolet counterpart of a gamma-ray burst.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gamma-ray burst
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Robert Lea, Space.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Astronomers first spotted this primordial supernova in March, thanks to a 10-second-long flash of high-energy light known as a gamma-ray burst.
—Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, 9 Dec. 2025
The search for a distant galaxy On July 2, NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope detected the succession of four gamma-ray bursts from a similar region of the sky, drawing the attention of astronomers who wondered if they could all be linked to the same source, said Martin-Carrillo.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2025
Transient candidates included Population III supernovae and the ultraviolet counterpart of a gamma-ray burst.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gamma-ray burst
Cite this Entry
“Gamma-ray burst.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gamma-ray%20burst. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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