cosmic web

British

noun

a network of filaments of dark matter, believed by many astronomers to form the basis of the universe

"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

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.

As dark energy pushes space outward, the voids expand and press against the surrounding cosmic web.

From Science Daily • Mar. 10, 2026

They are enormous thread like networks of galaxies and dark matter that create the framework of the cosmic web.

From Science Daily • Dec. 25, 2025

As we watch the struggles between Insuk, Huran and Sungho, we reflect on what it means to make a place, not only in this world but in the cosmic web of history and time.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 31, 2023

Shannon added that this means everything - the cosmic web has diffuse gas between galaxies that scientists cannot detect any other way.

From Salon • Oct. 24, 2023

In addition to measuring the BAO yardstick, Euclid’s spectroscopic survey can chronicle how gravity pulled clusters of galaxies into sheets and filaments over time, forming the cosmic web.

From Science Magazine • Jun. 21, 2023

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