dark matter
noun
: nonluminous matter not yet directly detected by astronomers that is hypothesized to exist to account for various observed gravitational effects
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That idea was put forth way back in 1929 by Fritz Zwicky, the same Fritz Zwicky who coined the term supernova and was the first to theorize the existence of dark matter.
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Big Think, 6 Mar. 2026
The universe is overrun with dark matter, outweighing the ordinary stuff that stars and planets are made of five-to-one.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 5 Mar. 2026
There is no strict definition of dark galaxies, Li explained, but their existence is predicted by dark matter theories and cosmological simulations.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 3 Mar. 2026
The enormous dataset will also map billions of galaxies, helping scientists probe the nature of dark matter — first discovered by astronomer Vera Rubin, for whom it’s named.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 27 Feb. 2026
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Big Think, 6 Mar. 2026
The universe is overrun with dark matter, outweighing the ordinary stuff that stars and planets are made of five-to-one.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 5 Mar. 2026
There is no strict definition of dark galaxies, Li explained, but their existence is predicted by dark matter theories and cosmological simulations.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 3 Mar. 2026
The enormous dataset will also map billions of galaxies, helping scientists probe the nature of dark matter — first discovered by astronomer Vera Rubin, for whom it’s named.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dark matter
Cite this Entry
“Dark matter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dark%20matter. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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