Deneb

noun

Den·​eb ˈde-ˌneb How to pronounce Deneb (audio)
-nəb
: a star of the first magnitude in Cygnus

Examples of Deneb in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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To the left of Vega, also very high in the sky, is Deneb, the 19th brightest star in the night sky. Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025 Deneb, which forms the tail of the swan represented by the constellation Cygnus, appears to be embedded directly in the hazy profile of the Milky Way, completing the triangle formation. Anthony Wood, Space.com, 28 Aug. 2025 Observers will be able to spot it a third of the way between bright stars Altair and Deneb. Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 6 Aug. 2025 The triangle’s vertices are formed by the stars Deneb, Vega, and Altair, forming a celestial isosceles triangle that’d make Euclid proud, that spans the constellations Cygnus, Lyra, and Aquila. Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 31 July 2025 Leading the way is the Summer Triangle asterism, made up of the bright stars Vega, Deneb and Altair. Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 1 June 2025 There was the Summer Triangle: Vega, with its disk of dust; the fast-rotating Altair; and Deneb, believed to be more than 2000 light years away. Lane Sainty, USA TODAY, 24 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Arabic dhanab al-dajāja, literally, the tail of the hen

First Known Use

circa 1867, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Deneb was circa 1867

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Cite this Entry

“Deneb.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Deneb. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

Deneb

noun
Den·​eb ˈden-ˌeb How to pronounce Deneb (audio)
-əb
: the brightest star in the group of stars of Cygnus

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