Milky Way

noun

1

: a broad luminous irregular band of light that stretches completely around the celestial sphere and is caused by the light of myriads of faint stars

2

: milky way galaxy

Examples of Milky Way in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The other is Milky Way Glowworm Cave at Waipu Caves Farm Park. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Sep. 2026

Spirals are like our own Milky Way and appear to spin around a central focus. — Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 3 Sep. 2026

There are, by various estimates, several trillion planets within what is known as the Local Group of galaxies—our closest galaxy neighbors, including our own Milky Way. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 1 Sep. 2026

Our Milky Way may look relatively orderly when viewed from afar, with most of its stars concentrated in a broad, rotating disc. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 31 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for Milky Way

• aaa
• alleyway
• alumnae
• anime
• anyway
• arete
• attache
• axillae
• baa
• beaujolais
• bouvier
• breakaway

Kids Definition

Milky Way

noun

1

: a broad band of light that stretches across the sky and is caused by the light of a very great number of faint stars

2

: milky way galaxy