the Milky Way
noun
1
: a broad band of light that can be seen in the night sky and that is caused by the light of a very large number of faint stars
2
: the galaxy in which we live that contains the stars that make up the Milky Way
Examples of the Milky Way in a Sentence
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The Andromeda Galaxy The Andromeda Galaxy lies almost directly overhead in the hours surrounding midnight on October nights, presenting a perfect opportunity to observe the Milky Way's closest neighbor without the atmospheric interference that comes from being close to the horizon.
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Anthony Wood, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2025
There are more human cells in your body than there are stars in the Milky Way galaxy!
—Regina G. Barber, NPR, 13 Oct. 2025
That ribbon is more formally known as the Milky Way band, stretching from the northeast horizon, through the overhead zenith, and on to the south-southwest horizon.
—Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 12 Oct. 2025
The old globular clusters found in the Milky Way, the ones that haven’t formed new stars in 10 billion years or more, have as little as 1% of the heavy elements found in the Sun, but the ones closest to the galactic center have up to 22% of the heavy elements found in the Sun.
—Big Think, 10 Oct. 2025
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Anthony Wood, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2025
There are more human cells in your body than there are stars in the Milky Way galaxy!
—Regina G. Barber, NPR, 13 Oct. 2025
That ribbon is more formally known as the Milky Way band, stretching from the northeast horizon, through the overhead zenith, and on to the south-southwest horizon.
—Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 12 Oct. 2025
The old globular clusters found in the Milky Way, the ones that haven’t formed new stars in 10 billion years or more, have as little as 1% of the heavy elements found in the Sun, but the ones closest to the galactic center have up to 22% of the heavy elements found in the Sun.
—Big Think, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the Milky Way
Cite this Entry
“The Milky Way.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20Milky%20Way. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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