black hole

noun

1

: a celestial object that has a gravitational field so strong that light cannot escape it and that is believed to be created especially in the collapse of a very massive star

2

: something resembling a black hole: such as

a

: something that consumes a resource continually

a financial black hole

b

: an empty space : void

… the archives of the past few years are a black hole.

—David Herman

c

: a dark and seemingly inescapable state or situation

the black hole of depression

Synonyms of black hole

• emptiness
• vacancy
• void
• blank

Examples of black hole in a Sentence

discovered that there was a black hole in the library's collection with regard to her topic

Recent Examples on the Web

Event Horizon refers to the boundary of a black hole beyond which light can’t escape, according to the National Science Foundation. —Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 1 Feb. 2026

Until now, the forces behind such outflows were thought to be driven mainly by intense star formation and possible black hole activity. —Robert Lea, Space.com, 30 Jan. 2026

So many options, but nothing to wear... a bespoke black hole of despair. —Erin Parker, InStyle, 22 Jan. 2026

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey is now used by astronomers around the world to examine the wonders of the universe — including the presence of a black hole at the center of every massive galaxy, dark-matter halos around galaxies, and dwarf companion galaxies around the Milky Way, UChicago said. —Adam Harrington, CBS News, 18 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1963, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for black hole

• bankroll
• bedroll
• borehole
• cajole
• catchpole
• charcoal
• condole
• control
• dipole
• downhole
• enroll
• extol

Kids Definition

black hole

noun

: an invisible region believed to exist in space having a very strong gravitational field and thought to be caused by the collapse of a star