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

Then in the future, when the binary star component enters the red giant phase, long after the outer star has become a compact white dwarf, the mass transfer could begin again in the opposite direction, with matter falling onto the surface of the white dwarf. —Keith Cooper, Space.com, 3 June 2026

In the center is a white dwarf, the dense, compact core of a dying star. —Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 24 Apr. 2026

Once a star dies, there are a number of possible fates that can ensue as well, as a stellar corpse can remain as a white dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole. —Big Think, 14 Apr. 2026

More common novas work in a similar way, but their white dwarfs are smaller, meaning their bursts are much less frequent. —Liz Kruesi, Quanta Magazine, 2 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1922, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for white dwarf

• polymorph
• morph
• orf
• wharf

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