expanding universe

American  

noun

Astronomy.

1. a concept or representation of the universe, based on the observed redshifts of distant galaxies, in which the galaxies are assumed to be receding from each other at a speed proportional to their separation as a result of the expansion of the universe.

---

Etymology

Origin of expanding universe

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

expanding universe

An expanding universe makes measuring distance more complicated because space does not remain fixed while light travels through it.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026

The theory began to take shape in the 1920s, when Georges Lemaître linked Edwin Hubble’s observations of receding galaxies with Alexander Friedmann’s earlier equations describing an expanding universe.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026

“In the quickly expanding universe of cases involving sanctions for the misuse of artificial intelligence, this case is a notorious outlier in both degree and volume,” Clarke wrote.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2026

He said the company's order portfolio was strong and fully booked well into 2025, but the company wanted to test this expanding universe.

From Reuters ● Oct. 14, 2023

The wonder, as Stephen Hawking has noted, is that no one had hit on the idea of the expanding universe before.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson