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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

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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-

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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

Mr. Silvertown calculates that at their seasonal high point there are a thousand times more leaves in one type of British grassland than there are stars in the Milky Way galaxy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

By connecting the chemistry of a distant planet to that of its star, astronomers now have new evidence supporting a principle that could help guide the search for potentially habitable worlds throughout the galaxy.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026

Together, the three papers provide a much more complete picture of this unusual cluster and offer new insights into galaxy cluster formation during cosmic noon.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

Astronomers detect mysterious burst of energy from a galaxy far, far away.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026

"This is as much of the galaxy as you can fit in a bedroom. And that"—she leaned over to see what was directly above my head—"well, that looks like the Gemini Twins."

From "Patina" by Jason Reynolds

Galaxy clusters were also becoming increasingly common as smaller systems gradually combined into larger structures.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

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

“During bitcoin’s 17-year existence, the price has moved in long waves,” Galaxy Digital says.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026

While Samsung routinely pipes up around Apple’s phone releases, iPhone users don’t even know when Samsung Galaxy releases occur, Richard Bruckner, a comedian and iPhone 17 Pro owner, posited in a viral social-media post.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Some similar chemistry must have occurred on a billion other worlds in the Milky Way Galaxy.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Known as intracluster light, this diffuse glow comes from stars scattered into the spaces between galaxies.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

This suggests that the faint glow of stars between galaxies could potentially serve as a visible indicator of where invisible dark matter is concentrated.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

The cluster's powerful gravity bends and distorts the light traveling from those background galaxies, creating a rare effect called strong gravitational lensing.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

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

The galaxies were so distant that even these great velocities were not directly measurable.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

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