metaverse

noun

meta·​verse ˈme-tə-ˌvərs 

plural metaverses

1

computing : a persistent virtual (see virtual sense 2) environment that allows access to and interoperability of multiple individual virtual realities

To its proponents, the metaverse is the natural evolution of the internet. They envisage a sprawling network of interconnected virtual worlds for such diverse activities as gaming, watching live entertainment, … and collaborating on design projects.

—Edd Gent

also : any of the individual virtual environments that make up a metaverse

Metaverses are immersive three-dimensional virtual worlds in which people interact as avatars with each other and with software agents, using the metaphor of the real world but without its physical limitations.

—Alanah Davis et al.

2

cosmology : the hypothetical combination of all co-existing or sequentially existing universes compare multiverse

Examples of metaverse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Meta Platforms shares advanced 4% for the week after Bloomberg reported Thursday that the Instagram and Facebook parent was set to cut metaverse spending by up to 30%. —Morgan Chittum,paulina Likos,matthew J. Belvedere, CNBC, 6 Dec. 2025

For many people, the problem is that the value proposition is unclear; the metaverse simply doesn’t yet deliver a must-have reason to ditch their phone or laptop. —Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 5 Dec. 2025

Shares of the company formerly known as Facebook shot up 7% early Thursday in response to a Bloomberg report that CEO Mark Zuckerberg is slashing the metaverse team’s budget by as much as 30%. —Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 4 Dec. 2025

That Lack Real Customer Value Many companies chase flashy tech, like the metaverse, without a clear ROI. —Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

meta- + -verse (in universe)

First Known Use

1992, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for metaverse

• reimburse
• universe
• adverse
• averse
• coerce
• disburse
• disperse
• diverse
• immerse
• inverse
• obverse
• perverse

Kids Definition

metaverse

noun

meta·​verse ˈmet-ə-ˌvərs 

1

: a persistent virtual environment that allows access to and interaction between multiple individual virtual realities

also : any of the individual virtual environments that make up a metaverse

2

: the hypothetical combination of all co-existing or sequentially existing universes