gravitational wave

American

noun

Astronomy, Physics.

(in general relativity) a propagating wave of gravitational energy produced by accelerating masses, especially during catastrophic events, as the gravitational collapse of massive stars.

gravitational wave British

noun

physics another name for gravity wave

"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

Etymology

Origin of gravitational wave

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

gravitational wave

"It's the foundation of quantum computing, quantum cryptography and even gravitational wave detection."

From Science Daily ● Jul. 5, 2026

As the number of gravitational wave detections continues to grow, researchers can move beyond studying individual events and begin examining the broader population of black holes throughout the Universe.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 2, 2026

Among the highlights are the most precisely located gravitational wave source ever observed, the clearest gravitational wave signal ever recorded, and additional evidence supporting the existence of second-generation black holes.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 2, 2026

As gravitational wave observatories continue to improve, scientists expect the pace of discoveries to accelerate even further.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 2, 2026

New observations in the next few years, particularly by gravitational wave detectors like LIGO, should enable us to discover the origin of the gamma ray bursts.

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023