the Milky Way

noun

1
: a broad band of light that can be seen in the night sky and that is caused by the light of a very large number of faint stars
2
: the galaxy in which we live that contains the stars that make up the Milky Way

Examples of the Milky Way in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Under dark skies, the Milky Way visibly streams behind Deneb and through Altair like a river of stars. Jamie Carter, Space.com, 24 July 2026 The telescope will also shed light on how common Earth-like planets are in the Milky Way Galaxy by expanding scientists’ survey of exoplanets. Elijah Tan, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 July 2026 Signs of atmospheres have been detected on other rocky exoplanets, but those discoveries have been relatively rare and not completely definitive, given there are likely millions, if not billions, of such planets in the Milky Way. Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 16 July 2026 Astronomers have detected a natural sugar found in raspberries in clouds of interstellar dust and gas near the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 14 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for the Milky Way

Cite this Entry

“The Milky Way.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20Milky%20Way. Accessed 28 Jul. 2026.

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