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  galaxy
• Galaxy
  Galaxy

  noun

  the spiral galaxy, approximately 100 000 light years in diameter, that contains the solar system about three fifths of the distance from its centre See also Magellanic Cloud

galaxy

American  

[gal-uhk-see] / ˈgæl ək si /

noun

• galaxies
  plural

1. Astronomy.

   1. a large system of stars held together by mutual gravitation and isolated from similar systems by vast regions of space.

   2. Often the galaxy or the Galaxy the system of stars in which the earth and the sun are located; the Milky Way.

2. any large and brilliant or impressive assemblage of people or things.

   Guests at the party included a whole galaxy of opera stars.

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Galaxy ¹ British  

/ ˈɡæləksɪ /

noun

1. Also known as: the Milky Way System. the spiral galaxy, approximately 100 000 light years in diameter, that contains the solar system about three fifths of the distance from its centre See also Magellanic Cloud

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galaxy ² British  

/ ˈɡæləksɪ /

noun

1. Former names: island universe, extragalactic nebula. any of a vast number of star systems held together by gravitational attraction in an asymmetric shape (an irregular galaxy ) or, more usually, in a symmetrical shape (a regular galaxy ), which is either a spiral or an ellipse

2. a splendid gathering, esp one of famous or distinguished people

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galaxy Scientific  

/ găl′ək-sē /

1. Any of numerous large-scale collections of stars, gas, and dust that make up the visible universe. Galaxies are held together by the gravitational attraction of the material contained within them, and most are organized around a galactic nucleus into elliptical or spiral shapes, with a small percentage of galaxies classed as irregular in shape. A galaxy may range in diameter from some hundreds of light-years for the smallest dwarfs to hundreds of thousands of light-years for the largest ellipticals, and may contain from a few million to several trillion stars. Many galaxies are grouped into clusters, with the clusters themselves often grouped into larger superclusters.

2. See more at active galaxy See also elliptical galaxy irregular galaxy lenticular galaxy spiral galaxy

3. the Galaxy. The Milky Way.

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galaxy Cultural  

1. A large, self-contained mass of stars.

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Discover More

A common form for galaxies is a bright center with spiral arms radiating outward.

The sun belongs to the galaxy called the Milky Way.

The universe contains billions of galaxies.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• galaxies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of galaxy

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English galaxie, galaxias, from Medieval Latin galaxia, galaxias, ultimately from Greek galaxías kýklos “the Milky Way”; see cycle, galacto-

Explanation

A galaxy is a collection of stars and planets that are held together by gravity. In a galaxy, the celestial bodies rotate around a central object. The Earth's galaxy is known as the Milky Way. Our solar system, made up of the Sun and the planets that encircle it, is a tiny part of that galaxy. A galaxy can also refer to a gathering of a lot of sparkly people –– like celebrities or sports stars. What gravity holds this galaxy together? Usually cameras.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

galaxy Galaxy galaxies

IceCube has been fully operational since 2011 and has detected high-energy neutrinos from a distant galaxy in the direction of the constellation Orion, as well as from our own Milky Way.

From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026

Equally important, the field strengths favored by the data, about five to 10 pico-Gauss today, are close to what would be needed for galaxy and cluster magnetic fields to originate from primordial seeds alone.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026

It measures how fast distant galaxies are moving away from our home galaxy, the Milky Way, by observing the brightness of supernovae explosions in these far away galaxies.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026

During the first test, Roman's Coronagraph Instrument observed a faint star in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a neighboring galaxy.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026

The scattered grains can be thought of as a galaxy.

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

Samsung, which makes the Galaxy Fold and S26 smartphones, is also expected to get a boost from its latest folding devices that were launched in August.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Galaxy has launched an over-the-counter marketplace for predictions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026

David Beckham swapped the Galactico comforts of Real Madrid, where he spent four seasons and collected a sole La Liga crown, for a Hollywood welcome at LA Galaxy.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

Galaxy Digital evaluated the four-year cycle and placed a base-case floor target price of between $40,000 and $46,000 for late 2026.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026

In the Milky Way Galaxy there must be many planets millions of years older than Earth, and some that are billions of years older.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Those from deeper in space carry clues about cosmic mysteries, like the supermassive black holes at the heart of galaxies.

From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026

But IceCube is searching for much higher-energy neutrinos, those produced by violent processes far beyond our Solar System — in distant galaxies.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

"MEGATRON provides a common physical framework for interpreting two of astronomy's most exciting new datasets: JWST's view of the earliest galaxies and the stellar fossil record," said Dr. Rey.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 3, 2026

During this era, the first generations of stars and galaxies were reshaping the cosmos by ionizing hydrogen gas between galaxies.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026

If galaxies were frozen peas, it would be enough to fill a large auditorium–the old Boston Garden, say, or the Royal Albert Hall.

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