escape velocity

noun

Updated on: 14 Mar 2018

Definition of escape velocity

: the minimum velocity that a moving body (such as a rocket) must have to escape from the gravitational field of a celestial body (such as the earth) and move outward into space

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Recent Examples of escape velocity from the Web

The initial version will be able to boost more than 50,000 pounds to Earth-escape velocity.

— william harwood, CBS News, "SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch puts on spectacular show in maiden flight," 6 Feb. 2018
Using data from a number of very fast stars in the Andromeda Galaxy spotted by the William Herschel telescope, the researchers could calculate the escape velocity of the galaxy.

— avery thompson, Popular Mechanics, "Surprise! Andromeda Isn't Much Bigger Than the Milky Way After All," 16 Feb. 2018
How does a company like Spotify grow up over the last 10 years and achieve escape velocity?

— joe pompeo, The Hive, "“Silicon Valley and the Media World Haven’t Been Comfortable Partners”: Edgar Bronfman Jr. Dishes on His New Media V.C. Dynamo," 5 Dec. 2017
Larger narratives would only destroy that apartness from the chain of events which gives them escape velocity.

— julian lucas, New York Times, "Epic Stories That Expand the Universal Family Plot," 1 Sep. 2017
Soar higher, to twenty-two thousand miles above earth, to that sweet spot where escape velocity meshes with gravity.

— bucky mcmahon, Esquire, "If Anyone Finds MH370, It Will Be the Men on This Ship," 14 Sep. 2015

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'escape velocity.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.