universe

American  

[yoo-nuh-vurs] / ˈju nəˌvɜrs /

noun

• universes
  plural

1. the universe. the totality of known or supposed objects and phenomena throughout space; the cosmos; macrocosm.

2. the whole world, especially with reference to humanity.

   a truth known throughout the universe.

3. a world or sphere in which something exists or prevails.

   his private universe.

4. in New Age philosophy and popular culture, a divine but nonpersonal being, consciousness, or field of energy believed to connect everything that is, allowing the interaction of the physical with the spiritual and thought with reality.

5. Also called universe of discourse.  Logic. the aggregate of all the objects, attributes, and relations assumed or implied in a given discussion.

6. Also called universal set.  Mathematics. the set of all elements under discussion for a given problem.

7. Statistics. the entire population under study.

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universe British  

/ ˈjuːnɪˌvɜːs /

noun

1. astronomy the aggregate of all existing matter, energy, and space

2. human beings collectively

3. a province or sphere of thought or activity

4. statistics another word for population

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universe Scientific  

/ yo̅o̅′nə-vûrs′ /

1. The totality of matter, energy, and space, including the Solar System, the galaxies, and the contents of the space between the galaxies. Current theories of cosmology suggest that the universe is constantly expanding.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subuniverse
  noun
• superuniverse
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• universes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of universe

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Old French univers, from Latin ūniversum, noun use of neuter of ūniversus “all, entire,” literally, “turned into one,” from ūni- uni- + versus “turned” (past participle of vertere “to turn”)

Explanation

Universe is a big word — in fact, it includes all matter and all of space. We can't see or know much about the outer limits of the universe, but we know that it has them, and the idea of matter contained within boundaries gives us other meanings for the word. You might refer to a "universe of ideas," or when conducting a scientific study, create "a universe of data." Universe can also mean a defined set of something — the five blocks between the playground and home can be the whole universe for a small child.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

universe universes

Together, these efforts could help astronomers reconstruct the family tree of little red dots and determine how these mysterious early universe sources develop over cosmic time.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026

The HBO Max series is based on DC comic book characters and is set within the same universe as films like “Superman” and “Supergirl” and the TV series “Peacemaker.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

In a parallel universe, this week is Harry Brook's first as England's new Test captain.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

Although each occupies a distinctly separate universe, Espenson says they all fit the same pattern.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

As I raced to find Bright, Togbe’s words came back to me about trusting my instincts, finding the words, carving out a space in the universe even if it only amounted to a minute.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

For Gallo and his team of Aditya Aney, Tao Pan and William Koor, “both the AI and private credit universes face significant volatility.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

The process begins with scientists generating large numbers of simulated universes based on physical models.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 29, 2026

Though not a sequel, “The Midnight Train” also plays with multiple universes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026

If a vacation or road trip isn’t in the cards this summer, you can still be transported to far-away places and alternate universes, like in ‘Spider-Noir,’ ‘Little House on the Prairie’ and ‘Lanterns.’

From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026

“We could imagine all sorts of universes unlike this one, but this is the one that happened.”

From "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer