the world
noun
1
: the earth and all the people and things on it
He is famous throughout the world.
They sailed around the world.
The product is shipped halfway around/across the world.
The island was cut off from the rest of the world.
They want to see/travel the world.
2
: the people in the world
She felt that the world was against her.
They announced their discovery to the world.
The world watched as he attempted to break the Olympic record.
She felt the eyes of the world watching her.
3
: all that is important : everything
I would give my children the world if I could.
Examples of the world in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The season starts with 16 single contestants, and the last couple standing not only leaves the boat with a new boo, but gets a $100,000 trip around the world.
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Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2026
Some of us virtuously recycle items that will be transported across the world to smother island nations in single-use plastic bags and water bottles, milk jugs, yogurt tubs, pet food and potato chip bags, Styrofoam meat trays, Coke bottles, Amazon mailing envelopes, and fast-food wrappers.
—Caroline Fraser, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
Leo’s visit, in December, to Lebanon, which is home to one of the world’s oldest Christian communities, dating back to the time of the apostles Peter and Paul, now looks adroitly timed.
—Paul Elie, New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2026
As Christians around the world mark Holy Week, the Catholic Church in the United States is reporting a notable increase in attendance and interest in joining the faith.
—Loureen Ayyoub, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for the world
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Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2026
Some of us virtuously recycle items that will be transported across the world to smother island nations in single-use plastic bags and water bottles, milk jugs, yogurt tubs, pet food and potato chip bags, Styrofoam meat trays, Coke bottles, Amazon mailing envelopes, and fast-food wrappers.
—Caroline Fraser, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
Leo’s visit, in December, to Lebanon, which is home to one of the world’s oldest Christian communities, dating back to the time of the apostles Peter and Paul, now looks adroitly timed.
—Paul Elie, New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2026
As Christians around the world mark Holy Week, the Catholic Church in the United States is reporting a notable increase in attendance and interest in joining the faith.
—Loureen Ayyoub, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for the world
Cite this Entry
“The world.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20world. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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