white hole

noun

: a hypothetical extremely dense celestial object that radiates enormous amounts of energy and matter compare black hole sense 1

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Maybe that’s the only kind of white hole our universe allows: the one that spawned it. Bill Andrews, Discover Magazine, 28 June 2019 At that point, Rovelli and Haggard propose, the star will bounce back and reverse, turning into a white hole instead: an outward gush of matter and energy. Corey S Powell, Discover Magazine, 18 July 2014 The mathematics is largely similar for talking about a white hole’s emissions and the Big Bang’s creations. Bill Andrews, Discover Magazine, 28 June 2019 Similar to how a black hole consumes everything in its path, a theoretical white hole would expel it. Sarah Wells, Popular Mechanics, 16 Nov. 2022 Smart governments and businesses are constantly creating and destroying white holes and black holes. Rajesh Kasturirangan, Quartz India, 3 Oct. 2019 Michael, the archangel, and also the teacher who’d taught me about white holes, the opposite of black holes, where disappeared matter emerges into another dimension. Cyrus Grace Dunham, The New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2019 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'white hole.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1971, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of white hole was in 1971

Dictionary Entries Near white hole

Cite this Entry

“White hole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/white%20hole. Accessed 3 Jun. 2023.

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