gamma-ray burst

noun

gam·​ma-ray burst ˈga-mə-ˈrā- 

variants or less commonly gamma ray burst

plural gamma-ray bursts also gamma ray bursts

: a brief, powerful jet of gamma rays detected deep in space that is generated by the collapse and explosion of a celestial object

… researchers … have discovered a gamma-ray burst (GRB) approximately 2.4 billion light-years away in the constellation Sagitta that ranks as the brightest ever observed.

—Russ Nelson

Eventually, though, the neutron star slows down, probably because of magnetic braking. Then it implodes, touching off a gamma ray burst.

—Govert Schilling

—abbreviation GRB

Examples of gamma-ray burst in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Swift launched in November 2004, and has been studying high-energy phenomena like gamma-ray bursts, supernovas, black-hole ejections and fast radio bursts across the universe for more than 20 years. — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 10 Sep. 2026

The observatory has studied powerful explosions called gamma-ray bursts since 2004. — Sara Hashemi, Popular Science, 9 Sep. 2026

The tiny particle originated in an enormous gamma-ray burst two billion light-years away from Earth. — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2026

Swift, which launched in 2004, captures data about gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), which can give scientists insights about the early history of the universe. — Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 22 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1973, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for gamma-ray burst

• accursed
• amerced
• cloudburst
• coerced
• conversed
• disbursed
• dispersed
• headfirst
• immersed
• outburst
• rehearsed
• reversed