collapsar

American

[kuh-lap-sahr] / kəˈlæp sɑr /

noun

Astronomy.

(formerly) a gravitationally collapsed star.

collapsar British

/ kɒˈlæpsɑː /

noun

astronomy a collapsed star, either a white dwarf, neutron star, or black hole

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of collapsar

1970–75; collapse + -ar, extracted from pulsar, quasar, etc.

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.

See Examples For:

collapsar

To the surprise of team members, given BOAT’s brightness, the remnants of the collapsar did not look exceptionally large.

From Science Magazine ● Apr. 12, 2024

It becomes a black hole, or as Cameron calls it, a "collapsar."

From Time Magazine Archive

These dimouts could not be due simply to a black hole passing in front of Epsilon Aurigae; the collapsar would have to be improbably large to cause that effect.

From Time Magazine Archive

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023