Magellanic Cloud
noun
Mag·el·lan·ic Cloud
ˌma-jə-ˈla-nik- 
chiefly British ˌma-gə-
: either of two small companion satellite galaxies near the Milky Way system:
Examples of Magellanic Cloud in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
By considering the way the Large Magellanic Cloud's gravity pulls on the Milky Way and how the gravity of the Triangulum Galaxy pulls on Andromeda, researchers refined how close Andromeda and the Milky Way galaxies will get by running a multitude of simulations.
—
Keith Cooper, Space.com, 28 Dec. 2025
Turns out, the nearest supermassive black hole to be found outside our own Milky Way Galaxy lies shockingly close, only 158,000 light years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
—Bruce Dorminey, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
Partly that's because any such black hole should lie at the center of the Large Magellanic Cloud, but its center is not well-defined.
—Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 6 Mar. 2025
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.
Keith Cooper, Space.com, 28 Dec. 2025
Turns out, the nearest supermassive black hole to be found outside our own Milky Way Galaxy lies shockingly close, only 158,000 light years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
—Bruce Dorminey, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
Partly that's because any such black hole should lie at the center of the Large Magellanic Cloud, but its center is not well-defined.
—Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 6 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Magellanic Cloud.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Magellanic%20Cloud. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
