the Milky Way

noun

1
: a broad band of light that can be seen in the night sky and that is caused by the light of a very large number of faint stars
2
: the galaxy in which we live that contains the stars that make up the Milky Way

Examples of the Milky Way in a Sentence

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.
The team then applied the method to Gaia data, which from 2014 to 2025 mapped the positions and motions of billions of stars in the Milky Way. Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 5 Apr. 2026 The formation of the Milky Way galaxy. Elena Megalos, Longreads, 31 Mar. 2026 Within the Milky Way galaxy, alone, there are billions of potentially inhabited worlds. Big Think, 23 Mar. 2026 In the Project Hail Mary universe, all life in our solar system’s sector of the Milky Way comes from an ancient ancestor of Astrophage that long ago radiated out from Tau Ceti, Weir says. Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 20 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for the Milky Way

Cite this Entry

“The Milky Way.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20Milky%20Way. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster