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 vast Milky Way spans about 100,000 light-years and contains anywhere between 100 billion and 400 billion stars, according to NASA. —Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 23 May 2026

Here's everything to know about our Milky Way, including how to see the stunning natural phenomenon from Arizona. —Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 22 May 2026

This photograph captures the first full Milky Way arch ever taken at Valle Fértil, Argentina. —Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026

And, perhaps most interestingly, how does the history of NGC 1365 compare to that of our own Milky Way? —Lisa Kewley, The Conversation, 14 May 2026

While this is an enormous size for any object or region, our own Milky Way galaxy measures over 100,000 light-years in diameter. —Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 13 May 2026

Dark sky tourism is one of the fastest-growing travel trends in the world, with travelers chasing aurora displays, Milky Way views and meteor showers in places where artificial light pollution barely registers. —Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 May 2026

Our Milky Way was recently active, with Sagittarius A* still emitting occasional flares. —Big Think, 4 May 2026

So there’s simply no need to Bubble Wrap the entire Milky Way. —Phil Plait, Scientific American, 1 May 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