gravitational constant

[ grav-i-tey-shuh-nl kon-stuhnt ]

/ ˌgræv ɪˈteɪ ʃə nl ˈkɒn stənt /

Save This Word!

noun Physics, Astronomy.

a universal physical constant used in calculating the attraction between two masses. Symbol: G

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Also called constant of gravitation, constant of gravity .

Origin of gravitational constant

First recorded in 1805–10

Words nearby gravitational constant

gravitas, gravitate, gravitation, gravitational, gravitational collapse, gravitational constant, gravitational field, gravitational force, gravitational interaction, gravitational lens, gravitational mass

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

How to use gravitational constant in a sentence

He not only gives out pain — he is in constant, unrelenting pain.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It was like a constant assault, an almost stupefying catalogue of mindless racial insult and injury.
How Martin Luther King Jr. Influenced Sam Cooke’s ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’|Peter Guralnick|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The courage of this husband and father is a constant reminder of how much some sacrifice for exercising universal rights.
Behind Bars for the Holidays: 11 Political Prisoners We Want to See Free In 2015|Movements.Org|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His constant worship of his wife stands in stark contrast to scandals of the domestic nature in other sports.
The Story of the World’s Greatest Cricket Player|William O’Connor|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST

You have a pretty sexy online persona, what with the constant bikinis.
Anastasia Ashley, Surfer-Cum-Model, Rides The Viral Internet Wave|James Joiner|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A constant sense of easy balance should be developed through poising exercises.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
This new nexus of print has grown up in the lifetime of four or five generations, and it is undergoing constant changes.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
His repeated coughing seemed a constant warning that at any moment he might be vanquished in the struggle for becoming silence.
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd
Here they are seldom abundant, but their constant presence is the most reliable urinary sign of the disease.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Labor, so it was argued, was perpetually being saved by the constant introduction of new uses of machinery.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock

British Dictionary definitions for gravitational constant

gravitational constant

noun

the factor relating force to mass and distance in Newton's law of gravitation. It is a universal constant with the value 6.673 × 10 –11 N m² kg –2Symbol: G

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

Scientific definitions for gravitational constant

gravitational constant

A constant relating the force of the gravitational attraction between two bodies to their masses and their distance from each other in Newton's law of gravitation. The gravitational constant equals approximately 6.67259 X 10-11 newton square meters per square kilogram. Its symbol is G. See more at Newton's law of gravitation.