big bang

noun

: the cosmic explosion that marked the beginning of the universe according to the big bang theory
In 1965 Arno A. Penzias and Robert W. Wilson of the Bell Telephone Laboratories discovered that the space of the universe is bathed with a diffuse radiation that is assumed to persist following the "big bang" expansion of the universe from an original fireball.V. L. Ginzburg
compare big crunch, big rip

Examples of big bang in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web True creative expression is posited as a sudden and novel rupture or disruption, a big bang of creativity, rather than a cumulative, collaborative process. Charlie Engman, ARTnews.com, 20 Sep. 2024 Even if human life is just a result of a big bang, ascendance from a primordial swamp, and billions of years of evolution, doesn’t nature know better? Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 20 June 2024 Several users described hearing a big bang shortly after takeoff. Kira Caspers, The Arizona Republic, 7 June 2024 Or so much that the expansion will eventually reverse itself in a kind of about-face big bang? Richard Panek, Scientific American, 1 Dec. 2023 See all Example Sentences for big bang 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'big bang.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of big bang was in 1949

Dictionary Entries Near big bang

Cite this Entry

“Big bang.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/big%20bang. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

big bang

noun
: the explosion that caused the beginning of the universe according to the big bang theory
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!