interstellar

adjective in·ter·stel·lar \ ˌin-tər-ˈste-lər \

|Updated on: 18 Aug 2018

Definition of interstellar

: located, taking place, or traveling among the stars especially of the Milky Way galaxy

See interstellar defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of interstellar from the Web

The cluster of stars is surrounded by clouds of interstellar gas and dust — the raw materials for the creation of new stars, NASA said.

— erin kelly, USA TODAY, "NASA releases image of 'celestial fireworks' in honor of Independence Day," 4 July 2018
Set in a future, inhabited galaxy, humanity coexists along with thousands of aliens and artificial intelligences in a vast, interstellar diaspora.

— andrew liptak, The Verge, "12 fantastic science fiction and fantasy novels that you should check out this July," 1 July 2018
My personal interest in interstellar travel was piqued not by an astrophysicist, but rather by a moral philosopher.

— derek thompson, The Atlantic, "Is Colonizing Mars the Most Important Project in Human History?," 29 June 2018
So is there an interstellar conveyor belt seeding life throughout the galaxy?

— jamie seidel, Fox News, "Wild new alien theory emerges," 28 June 2018
That’s because those vast empty reaches of space between stars are filled with interstellar dust.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Our Galaxy Is Really Greasy and Smells Like Moth Balls," 28 June 2018
Shaped by its birth star's high-energy light and interstellar winds, the nebula rests about 650 light-years away from Earth.

— National Geographic, "The Giant Squid Nebula and More Animals of the Cosmos," 20 Mar. 2018
In 2015, Scottish actress Michelle Gomez joined the series as Missy, the latest regeneration of The Master, the only other survivor of Gallifrey, which was destroyed in an interstellar war.

— pam kragen, sandiegouniontribune.com, "New 'Doctor Who' lineup to debut at San Diego Comic-Con," 14 June 2018
Gott suggests that highly efficient antimatter fuel could be the key and other world agencies and scientists also think such a fuel could be a potentially invaluable piece to interstellar travel.

— matt blitz, Popular Mechanics, "We Already Know How To Build a Time Machine," 28 May 2018

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