observatory
noun
ob·ser·va·to·ry
əb-ˈzər-və-ˌtȯr-ē 
plural observatories
1
: a building or place given over to or equipped for observation of natural phenomena (as in astronomy)
also
: an institution whose primary purpose is making such observations
2
: a situation or structure commanding a wide view
Examples of observatory in a Sentence
the observatory is located on a mountaintop
Recent Examples on the Web
Each day, harbors and observatories would raise and lower a metal ball at the same time to allow sailors to synchronize their instruments.
—
Jack Guy, CNN Money, 31 Dec. 2025
Sensitive equipment and historical artifacts — including the Mills spectrograph used in the observatory’s early days to measure the colors of light emitted by stars and galaxies — were wheeled out as rain blew inside and winds swirled through the opening.
—Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2025
Once the world’s largest observatory, Palomar remains an active research site and is one of the few major observatories open to the public.
—Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Dec. 2025
Over the course of its initial 10-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time, the observatory will accumulate 60 petabytes (60,000TB) of information.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 28 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for observatory
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.
Jack Guy, CNN Money, 31 Dec. 2025
Sensitive equipment and historical artifacts — including the Mills spectrograph used in the observatory’s early days to measure the colors of light emitted by stars and galaxies — were wheeled out as rain blew inside and winds swirled through the opening.
—Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2025
Once the world’s largest observatory, Palomar remains an active research site and is one of the few major observatories open to the public.
—Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Dec. 2025
Over the course of its initial 10-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time, the observatory will accumulate 60 petabytes (60,000TB) of information.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 28 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for observatory
Cite this Entry
“Observatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/observatory. Accessed 3 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
observatory
noun
ob·ser·va·to·ry
əb-ˈzər-və-ˌtōr-ē
-ˌtȯr-
plural observatories
1
: a place or institution equipped with instruments for observation of natural objects and events (as in astronomy)
2
: a place providing a wide view
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share