meteor

noun

me·te·or | \ ˈmē-tē-ər

, -ˌȯr\

Definition of meteor

1 : an atmospheric phenomenon (such as lightning or a snowfall)

2a : any of the small particles of matter in the solar system that are directly observable only by their incandescence from frictional heating on entry into the atmosphere

b : the streak of light produced by the passage of a meteor

Examples of meteor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

On that day, a meteor exploded in the sky over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk, generating a powerful shock wave that shattered thousands of windows in the buildings below. — Mike Wall, Space.com, "Asteroid Billiards: This Wild Idea to Protect Earth Just Might Work," 24 Aug. 2018 His 30-year research partner, University of California Berkeley professor Walter Alvarez, first theorized that dinosaurs became extinct 66 million years ago when a giant meteor slammed into the Earth. — Katherine Long, The Seattle Times, "UW’s new provost plumbs one of Earth’s most fascinating mysteries," 22 Oct. 2018 Consisting of 14 creative pieces, the limited-edition collection, Les Galaxies de Cartier, traverses the galaxy with stars in orbit, fractal meteors, and planets, all rendered in diamonds and more. — Catherine Scott, Vogue, "Cartier Launches a New Jewelry Collection With an Out of This World Dinner Party," 25 Jan. 2019 The meteors will appear to radiate from the constellation Gemini, which is how these events get their names. — Eleanor Hildebrandt, Popular Mechanics, "How to Watch the December 2018 Geminid Meteor Shower," 10 Dec. 2018 During its peak, there are 15 meteors per hour, lasting until dawn. — Paige Cornwell, The Seattle Times, "Look up: Meteor shower to light up Seattle’s unusually cloudless night skies," 16 Oct. 2018 Check out our historical recreations of Trump fighting a meteor, Trump wrestling Bigfoot and Trump fighting his evil twin Zoltar Trump on the surface of Saturn's moon. — Fox News, "Gutfeld: Living in the media's lie," 18 Aug. 2018 The stellar show is falling during a new moon, meaning the sky is darker and the meteors will be more easily visible. — Sara Rodrigues, House Beautiful, "How To See The First Meteor Shower Of 2019," 2 Jan. 2019 The shower peaks on Oct. 21, but the meteors may be visible as early as today after midnight, according to the National Weather Service. The phenomenon will stay active until Nov. 7, according to NASA. — Paige Cornwell, The Seattle Times, "Look up: Meteor shower to light up Seattle’s unusually cloudless night skies," 16 Oct. 2018

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

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Last Updated

12 Mar 2019

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The first known use of meteor was in the 15th century

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More Definitions for meteor

meteor

noun

English Language Learners Definition of meteor

: a piece of rock or metal that burns and glows brightly in the sky as it falls from outer space into the Earth's atmosphere

See the full definition for meteor in the English Language Learners Dictionary

meteor

noun

me·te·or | \ ˈmē-tē-ər

Kids Definition of meteor

: one of the small pieces of matter in the solar system that enter the earth's atmosphere where friction may cause them to glow and form a streak of light