dark matter

noun

: nonluminous matter not yet directly detected by astronomers that is hypothesized to exist to account for various observed gravitational effects

Examples of dark matter in a Sentence

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The observatory is conducting a ten-year-long survey of the southern sky, dubbed the Legacy Survey of Space and Time, which has as one of its principal goals improving our understanding of the nature of both dark energy and dark matter. Ian Randall, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025 In the center is a central bulge of stars, and the whole thing is surrounded by a vast halo of stars and dark matter about a million light-years wide. Phil Plait, Scientific American, 6 Nov. 2025 This quiz will test your knowledge of the strange, shadowy realm of dark matter. Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 4 Nov. 2025 Interstellar is the area in between stars where dark matter resides. Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 30 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dark matter

Word History

First Known Use

1933, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dark matter was in 1933

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Cite this Entry

“Dark matter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dark%20matter. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.

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