dark energy

[ dahrk-en-er-jee ]

/ ˈdɑrk ˈɛn ər dʒi /

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noun

a hypothetical form of energy whose negative pressure counteracts gravity and is assumed to be responsible for the universe expanding at an accelerating rate.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of dark energy

First recorded in 1995–2000

Words nearby dark energy

dark cloud, dark comedy, Dark Continent, dark current, darken, dark energy, darken someone's door, dark-eyed junco, dark-field, dark-field illumination, dark-field microscope

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dark energy in a sentence

These missing parts consist of dark matter and dark energy, both equally mysterious forms of new physics.
Contemplating the End of Physics|Robbert Dijkgraaf|November 24, 2020|Quanta Magazine
It will be used to map small objects that are far away and probe for dark matter and dark energy.
Satellite mega-constellations risk ruining astronomy forever|Neel Patel|September 2, 2020|MIT Technology Review
This is the concept of dark energy, and it points to something that we are missing in our description of the universe.
The Physicist Who Slayed Gravity’s Ghosts|Thomas Lewton|August 18, 2020|Quanta Magazine
Currently, the only way we can feel the presence of dark energy is with observations of the distant universe.
Dark Energy: Map Gives Clue About What It Is—but Deepens Dispute About the Cosmic Expansion Rate|Julian Bautista|July 31, 2020|Singularity Hub

If you have a kind of dark energy where the energy density is not constant, but is increasing over time, then — then you get this, this thing called phantom dark energy.
This Cosmologist Knows How It’s All Going to End|Dan Falk|June 22, 2020|Quanta Magazine
We want to know if dark energy has always been this way, or if it has changed over history—and if it will stay the same forever.
Using Black Holes to Measure Dark Energy, Like a BOSS|Matthew R. Francis|April 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We hope to see signs of what is to come by looking at how dark energy behaves now, and how it has acted in the past.
Using Black Holes to Measure Dark Energy, Like a BOSS|Matthew R. Francis|April 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Not only that, but the rate of expansion is getting faster, a phenomenon we call “dark energy.”
Using Black Holes to Measure Dark Energy, Like a BOSS|Matthew R. Francis|April 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
From what we can tell, the total amount of dark energy seems to increase as the Universe expands.
Using Black Holes to Measure Dark Energy, Like a BOSS|Matthew R. Francis|April 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If dark energy comes and goes, though, maybe the rate of expansion will slow down again.
Using Black Holes to Measure Dark Energy, Like a BOSS|Matthew R. Francis|April 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Scientific definitions for dark energy

dark energy

A form of energy hypothesized to reside in the structure of space itself, responsible for the accelerating expansion of the universe. Dark energy theoretically counterbalances the kinetic energy of the universe's expansion, entailing that that the universe has no inherent curvature, as astronomical observations currently suggest. Dark energy appears to account for 73 percent of all the energy and matter in the universe. See also big bang.

Cultural definitions for dark energy

dark energy

An as yet unknown and unidentified form of energy that pervades the universe and produces a force that counteracts the gravitational attraction between galaxies.

notes for dark energy

Dark energy is thought to be responsible for the accelerating universe.