speed of light

noun phrase

: a fundamental physical constant that is the speed at which electromagnetic radiation propagates in a vacuum and that has a value fixed by international convention of 299,792,458 meters per second
symbol c

Examples of speed of light in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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However, general relativity also predicts that when objects accelerate in spacetime, this generates ripples that radiate outward at the speed of light. Robert Lea, Space.com, 2 Mar. 2026 But signals don’t go from the generating source to the observer instantaneously; all physical signals propagate at a finite speed, with the fastest possible speed being the speed of light in a vacuum, c, or 299,792,458 m/s. Big Think, 25 Feb. 2026 For the launch colorway, a vivid graphic may initially bring to mind heat maps with its application of blue, green, yellow and red — but the choice was actually made to invoke a temporal fold, a theoretical concept of bending spacetime to move faster than the speed of light. Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 13 Feb. 2026 That conversion is governed by Einstein’s most famous equation, E = mc2, where m is the mass of the black holes lost to energy and c is the speed of light. Phil Plait, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for speed of light

Word History

First Known Use

1823, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of speed of light was in 1823

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Cite this Entry

“Speed of light.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/speed%20of%20light. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.

Kids Definition

speed of light

: a fundamental physical constant that is the speed at which electromagnetic radiation travels in a vacuum and that has a value of 299,792,458 meters per second

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