Definition of galaxy
galaxies
1a often capitalized : milky way galaxy —used with theb : any of the very large groups of stars and associated matter that are found throughout the universe
2a : an assemblage of brilliant or notable persons or things a galaxy of artistsb : world 11 remained galaxies apart on the issue — Newsweek
Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd
Examples of galaxy in a Sentence
The event was attended by a galaxy of artists.
they're a galaxy apart when it comes to politics
Recent Examples of galaxy from the Web
-
And Cara Delevingne attended the same event with a silvery bald head that was worthy of all the photos in the galaxy (and plenty of sweet imitations to boot).
-
Some astronomers, suspecting trickery from the computation-minded Schawinski, asked outright: Were these real galaxies?
-
But basketball is where the players are the show, where one or two stars aligning just right can change the galaxy.
-
The plot commences when Nevarian Dracorte, a young man on the brink of adulthood, gets hired for the crew of a Shadow harvesting ship captained by a teenage girl named Qole Uvgamut, renowned as one of the galaxy's finest pilots.
-
While most festivals aim to be out of this world, Blue Dot shoots for a different galaxy entirely.
-
Reportedly, both Kennedy and longtime Star Wars writer Lawrence Kasdan (Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, The Force Awakens) were underwhelmed with Lord and Miller’s bolder take on Lucasfilm’s galaxy far, far away.
-
A San Diego street in a galaxy not too far away at all will soon bear the name of one of the city’s most famous residents who blasted to fame as Luke Skywalker.
-
The platform gives you a view of the other components of the exhibit: a collection of ten collages, plus a looping video projection of animated objects that appear to be floating through an expansive, endless galaxy.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'galaxy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
The system of stars that includes our sun looks, in the night sky, like a broad band of light. We call this band the Milky Way. The idea of the whiteness of the Milky Way being similar to that of milk is much older than the English language, however. Galaxias, the Greek word for the Milky Way, was derived from the Greek gala, “milk.” English galaxy, derived from Greek galaxias, was not used until the 19th century as a generic term for other star systems as well as the one in which we live.
Origin and Etymology of galaxy
Middle English galaxias, galaxie, borrowed from Late Latin galaxias, borrowed from Greek galaxías (probably originally conjoined with kýklos “wheel”), from galakt-, stem of gála “milk” (going back to Indo-European *glkt-, attested elsewhere only in Latin lact-, lac “milk,” Armenian kat‘n) + -ias, noun suffix, especially of natural phenomena
GALAXY Defined for English Language Learners
galaxy
playDefinition of galaxy for English Language Learners
-
astronomy : any one of the very large groups of stars that make up the universe
-
the Galaxy : the galaxy in which we live
-
: a large group of important or well-known people or things
GALAXY Defined for Kids
galaxy
playDefinition of galaxy for Students
galaxies
1 : milky way galaxy
2 : one of the very large groups of stars, gas, and dust that make up the universe
History for galaxy
The band of light that crosses a clear night sky is caused by many faint stars. We call this band the Milky Way because it looks a bit like a stream of milk. The stars of the Milky Way belong to our galaxy, the Milky Way galaxy. The idea that the Milky Way looks like milk is much older than the English language, however. The ancient Greek name for this star system, galaxias, was formed from the Greek word gala, “milk.” The English word galaxy was borrowed from the Greek name.
Learn More about galaxy
-
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for galaxy Spanish Central: Translation of galaxy Nglish: Translation of galaxy for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of galaxy for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about galaxy
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up galaxy? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!