gravitational field

American  

noun

Physics.

1. the attractive effect, considered as extending throughout space, of matter on other matter.

2. the region surrounding an astronomical body in which the force of gravitation is strong.

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gravitational field British  

noun

1. the field of force surrounding a body of finite mass in which another body would experience an attractive force that is proportional to the product of the masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them

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Etymology

Origin of gravitational field

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

The team then determines the gravitational field that would match observational measurements and uses that information to infer the possible composition.

From Science Daily • Dec. 10, 2025

Because of the different gravitational field strength on the Moon, time moves quicker there relative to Earth - 58.7 microseconds every day.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2024

According to the so-called equivalence principle, in a gravitational field all objects fall at the same rate regardless of what they’re made of.

From Science Magazine • Sep. 27, 2023

Yet an astrophysicist simulating the black hole would not get sucked into their laptop by the simulated gravitational field.

From Scientific American • Sep. 8, 2023

This giant was another child of Gaea—a creature of the earth so malevolent and powerful, he radiated his own gravitational field.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan