white dwarf

noun

plural white dwarfs
: a small hot whitish star of low intrinsic brightness usually with a mass approximately equal to that of the sun but with a density many times larger

Examples of white dwarf in a Sentence

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However, if the white dwarf progenitor star exists in a binary with another star, this stellar corpse can begin vampirically stripping material from its companion. Robert Lea, Space.com, 27 Jan. 2025 If the circling object is indeed a white dwarf, the body would be pulling of a precarious balancing act, teetering on the black hole’s edge without falling in. Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 14 Jan. 2025 And not all recent results support the white dwarf binary model. Bydaniel Clery, science.org, 4 Dec. 2024 In addition to helping the researchers nail down the nebula's ellipsoidal structure, the 3D model also confirmed that the stellar corpse of the bygone star known as a white dwarf, which is seen as the tiny white dot within the nebula, is indeed located at its center. Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 20 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for white dwarf 

Word History

First Known Use

1922, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of white dwarf was in 1922

Dictionary Entries Near white dwarf

Cite this Entry

“White dwarf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/white%20dwarf. Accessed 12 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

white dwarf

noun
: a small whitish star of low brightness that has a mass approximately equal to that of the sun but that is many times more dense

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