Milky Way

noun

1

: a broad luminous irregular band of light that stretches completely around the celestial sphere and is caused by the light of myriads of faint stars

2

: milky way galaxy

Examples of Milky Way in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Spirals are like our own Milky Way and appear to spin around a central focus. — Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 3 Sep. 2026

There are, by various estimates, several trillion planets within what is known as the Local Group of galaxies—our closest galaxy neighbors, including our own Milky Way. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 1 Sep. 2026

Our Milky Way may look relatively orderly when viewed from afar, with most of its stars concentrated in a broad, rotating disc. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 31 Aug. 2026

As Capricornus emerges into the evening sky, the bright center of the summer Milky Way is on the wane, beginning to lean west, and autumn is approaching. — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 28 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for Milky Way

• aaa
• alleyway
• alumnae
• anime
• anyway
• arete
• attache
• axillae
• baa
• beaujolais
• bouvier
• breakaway

Kids Definition

Milky Way

noun

1

: a broad band of light that stretches across the sky and is caused by the light of a very great number of faint stars

2

: milky way galaxy