Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

bow shock

American  
[bou] / baʊ /

noun

Astronomy.

  1. the shock front along which the solar wind encounters a planet's magnetic field.

Etymology

Origin of bow shock

First recorded in 1945–50

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.

Scientists are now actively looking for bow shock structures in our galaxy caused by the central black hole activities from thousands of years ago, so as to trace the history of our galactic black hole.

From Space Scoop • Jun. 2, 2025

Image: Artist impression of a black hole system generating powerful jets and a massive bow shock structure.

From Space Scoop • Jun. 2, 2025

In this process, a bow shock may have formed at the top of the cluster from the dust surrounding the cluster, similar to the tip of a ship in the water.

From Science Daily • Oct. 10, 2023

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.