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white dwarf
noun
plural white dwarfs
: a small hot whitish star of low intrinsic brightness usually with a mass approximately equal to that of the sun but with a density many times larger
Examples of white dwarf in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
However, if the white dwarf progenitor star exists in a binary with another star, this stellar corpse can begin vampirically stripping material from its companion.
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Robert Lea, Space.com, 27 Jan. 2025
If the circling object is indeed a white dwarf, the body would be pulling of a precarious balancing act, teetering on the black hole’s edge without falling in.
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Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 14 Jan. 2025
And not all recent results support the white dwarf binary model.
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Bydaniel Clery, science.org, 4 Dec. 2024
In addition to helping the researchers nail down the nebula's ellipsoidal structure, the 3D model also confirmed that the stellar corpse of the bygone star known as a white dwarf, which is seen as the tiny white dot within the nebula, is indeed located at its center.
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Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 20 Jan. 2025
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Word History
First Known Use
1922, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near white dwarf
Cite this Entry
“White dwarf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/white%20dwarf. Accessed 18 Feb. 2025.
Kids Definition
white dwarf
noun
: a small whitish star of low brightness that has a mass approximately equal to that of the sun but that is many times more dense
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