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
David Herman
c
: a dark and seemingly inescapable state or situation
the black hole of depression
Examples of black hole in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The object’s curious motion indicated that a large black hole nearby had locked it into an orbit.
—Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Apr. 2024
So the Webb, for instance, identified a black hole but then couldn't focus on it well where the Chandra could.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024
Images came through of the two black holes—or, rather, of the ring of stuff falling into the black holes.
—Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2024
These events sometimes leave nebulae, neutron stars, or even black holes in their wake.
—Isaac Schultz / Gizmodo, Quartz, 28 Mar. 2024
The team followed up with observations from the powerful Very Large Telescope in Chile’s Atacama Desert to confirm details about the black hole, including its hefty mass.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 21 Feb. 2024
Ellroy’s cynical noir takes such a dark view of Los Angeles that the city is practically a black hole.
—Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Stars that orbit closer to the black hole within 0.01 parsecs most likely will crash and keep going only losing their outer layers.
—Elizabeth Gamillo, Discover Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
Heart disease should be a bright spot in this black hole of medical research.
—Maggie Fox, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Apr. 2024
So the Webb, for instance, identified a black hole but then couldn't focus on it well where the Chandra could.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024
Images came through of the two black holes—or, rather, of the ring of stuff falling into the black holes.
—Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2024
These events sometimes leave nebulae, neutron stars, or even black holes in their wake.
—Isaac Schultz / Gizmodo, Quartz, 28 Mar. 2024
The team followed up with observations from the powerful Very Large Telescope in Chile’s Atacama Desert to confirm details about the black hole, including its hefty mass.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 21 Feb. 2024
Ellroy’s cynical noir takes such a dark view of Los Angeles that the city is practically a black hole.
—Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Stars that orbit closer to the black hole within 0.01 parsecs most likely will crash and keep going only losing their outer layers.
—Elizabeth Gamillo, Discover Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
Heart disease should be a bright spot in this black hole of medical research.
—Maggie Fox, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'black hole.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near black hole
Cite this Entry
“Black hole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/black%20hole. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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