spacefaring

adjective

space·​far·​ing ˈspās-ˌfer-iŋ How to pronounce spacefaring (audio)
: having vehicles capable of traveling beyond the earth's atmosphere
spacefaring nations

Examples of spacefaring in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Scientists grew mouse embryos for the first time ever in space What would make humans a truly spacefaring species? Sabrina Weiss, WIRED, 31 Dec. 2023 Although the overall risk of harm to people is low—there is only a 0.5 percent chance of injury or death to a human, based on one model—these risks are nonetheless higher than accepted by most spacefaring nations, said Ted Muelhaupt, a reentry and debris expert at The Aerospace Corporation. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 3 Nov. 2022 The baseline is the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which has been ratified by all spacefaring nations, including the U.S., Russia, and China. Veronique Greenwood, Discover Magazine, 7 June 2012 Last month, a bunch of rocket scientists, microbiologists and entrepreneurs gathered in Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center to discuss — in level and serious tones — how to become a spacefaring civilization. Sarah Scoles, Discover Magazine, 28 Oct. 2014 In 2003, Brazil had high hopes to become a spacefaring nation. Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, 25 Oct. 2022 Long in the making, the UK is about to, once again, become a spacefaring nation. WIRED, 23 Sep. 2022 Russia’s invasion of Ukraine strained international activities in space, scuttling several missions and stressing decades of collaboration among spacefaring nations. Micah Maidenberg, WSJ, 26 July 2022 Once a realm dominated by just a few spacefaring nations, the cosmos is opening up to nascent space programs around the world, to entrepreneurs and innovators, to commercial companies and even to students. NBC News, 8 Apr. 2022

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

Word History

Etymology

space entry 1 + seafaring

First Known Use

1952, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of spacefaring was in 1952

Dictionary Entries Near spacefaring

Cite this Entry

“Spacefaring.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spacefaring. Accessed 6 May. 2024.

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