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
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These are binary systems in which one object, a dense stellar corpse known as a white dwarf, is stripping material from a companion star. Robert Lea, Space.com, 3 July 2025 The system consists of one star and a white dwarf, which is the leftover core of a dead star. Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 July 2025 Type Ia supernovae generally start with a white dwarf that is one star in a pair. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 2 July 2025 That eliminates any main sequence stars, leaving a white dwarf as the only likely answer. John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 22 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for white dwarf

Word History

First Known Use

1922, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of white dwarf was in 1922

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Cite this Entry

“White dwarf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/white%20dwarf. Accessed 18 Jul. 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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