Betelgeuse
Americannoun
noun
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A red supergiant star in the constellation Orion. It is a variable star with a brightest apparent magnitude of 0.5. Scientific name: Alpha Orionis.
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See Note at Rigel
Etymology
Origin of Betelgeuse
1790–1800; < French < Arabic bīt al jauzāʾ shoulder of the giant (i.e., of Orion)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The wake appears shortly after the companion passes in front of Betelgeuse approximately every six years, or about 2,100 days, in agreement with earlier theoretical predictions.
From Science Daily • Jan. 10, 2026
From Earth's perspective, Betelgeuse is currently eclipsing its companion star.
From Science Daily • Jan. 10, 2026
In 2019 and 2020, Betelgeuse began to grow dimmer and dimmer in brightness, so much that astronomers called this event, the ‘Great Dimming.’
From Space Scoop • Aug. 20, 2025
Set more than three decades after the original Beetlejuice, Lydia Deetz is now a mother struggling to keep her family together when Betelgeuse returns to haunt her.
From BBC • Oct. 23, 2024
Rigel was a blue star, smaller than Betelgeuse, Dad said, but even brighter.
From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
