speed of light
noun phrase
: a fundamental physical constant that is the speed at which electromagnetic radiation propagates in a vacuum and that has a value fixed by international convention of 299,792,458 meters per second
—symbol c
Examples of speed of light in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
For instance, the Artificial Intelligence (AI) industry has become mainstream in recent years and is constantly evolving at the speed of light.
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Hilary Tetenabaum, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
At this time, the cosmos was dominated by radiation—photons and other particles moving close to the speed of light.
—Steve Nadis, WIRED, 25 Feb. 2024
Answers here could be almost unfathomably weird—think parallel dimensions or the ability to travel at a fraction of the speed of light.
—Garrett M. Graff, WIRED, 11 Mar. 2024
The magnetic field surrounding the behemoth black hole at that galaxy's center, known as M87*, is thought to play a key role in its dramatic behavior: The black hole launches a powerful jet of electrons and other subatomic particles into space at nearly the speed of light.
—Denise Chow, NBC News, 27 Mar. 2024
That nearby gas and plasma can also help reveal how feasting black holes create extreme cosmic structures such as relativistic jets — gigantic beams of superheated plasma accelerated to nearly the speed of light.
—Michael Greshko, Quanta Magazine, 12 Feb. 2024
The world’s most powerful particle accelerator violently smashes protons and other subatomic particles together at nearly the speed of light, which can emit radiation at levels potentially harmful to humans.
—Popular Science, 6 Feb. 2024
The universe is actually expanding, with the most distant galaxies moving away from Earth at nearly the speed of light.
—Brian Jackson, Discover Magazine, 18 Oct. 2023
Against a backdrop of an ultra-competitive music industry that changes at the speed of light, holding onto that belief without getting hurt can be incredibly difficult.
—Jenna Wang, Peoplemag, 9 Feb. 2024
Hilary Tetenabaum, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
At this time, the cosmos was dominated by radiation—photons and other particles moving close to the speed of light.
—Steve Nadis, WIRED, 25 Feb. 2024
Answers here could be almost unfathomably weird—think parallel dimensions or the ability to travel at a fraction of the speed of light.
—Garrett M. Graff, WIRED, 11 Mar. 2024
The magnetic field surrounding the behemoth black hole at that galaxy's center, known as M87*, is thought to play a key role in its dramatic behavior: The black hole launches a powerful jet of electrons and other subatomic particles into space at nearly the speed of light.
—Denise Chow, NBC News, 27 Mar. 2024
That nearby gas and plasma can also help reveal how feasting black holes create extreme cosmic structures such as relativistic jets — gigantic beams of superheated plasma accelerated to nearly the speed of light.
—Michael Greshko, Quanta Magazine, 12 Feb. 2024
The world’s most powerful particle accelerator violently smashes protons and other subatomic particles together at nearly the speed of light, which can emit radiation at levels potentially harmful to humans.
—Popular Science, 6 Feb. 2024
The universe is actually expanding, with the most distant galaxies moving away from Earth at nearly the speed of light.
—Brian Jackson, Discover Magazine, 18 Oct. 2023
Against a backdrop of an ultra-competitive music industry that changes at the speed of light, holding onto that belief without getting hurt can be incredibly difficult.
—Jenna Wang, Peoplemag, 9 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'speed of light.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near speed of light
Cite this Entry
“Speed of light.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/speed%20of%20light. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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