gravity wave

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noun

a wave created by the action of gravity on local variations in the density of a stratified fluid, as the atmosphere, or at an interface between fluids of different density, as a liquid and a gas.

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Origin of gravity wave

First recorded in 1875–80

Words nearby gravity wave

gravity hinge, gravity meter, gravity platform, gravity railroad, gravity scale, gravity wave, gravity wind, gravlax, Gravol, gravure, gravy

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

How to use gravity wave in a sentence

In fact, this stabilizing influence gives rise to the internal gravity waves that influence Saturn’s rings.
Saturn’s insides are sloshing around|Neel V. Patel|August 16, 2021|MIT Technology Review
Since then, researchers have come up with several ideas about where the upper atmosphere’s thermal boost might originate, including pressure waves or gravity waves created by turbulence lower in the atmosphere.
Jupiter’s intense auroras superheat its upper atmosphere|Sid Perkins|August 16, 2021|Science News
Current applications include cancer research and drug discovery, gravity wave detection, and fusion simulation.
The World’s Biggest AI Chip Now Comes Stock With 2.6 Trillion Transistors|Jason Dorrier|April 25, 2021|Singularity Hub
That induced an up and down oscillating motion known as a gravity wave — akin to the ripples produced by a bobber in a pond.
Satellites capture dozens of explosive eruptions from La Soufrière volcano on St. Vincent island|Matthew Cappucci|April 12, 2021|Washington Post

Weiss knew that as a gravity wave passed, it would stretch space in the direction of one arm while contracting it in the direction of the other.
Why you don’t really know what you know|Katie McLean|October 21, 2020|MIT Technology Review
So not only will the GOP have control in the Senate, it will move the center of gravity on Capitol Hill hard to starboard.
The Democrats’ Black Hole—and What They Can Do About It|Michael Tomasky|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Thus it attracted a wave of cowboy operators to fly passengers and cargo between cities.
Who Will Get AsiaAir 8501’s Black Boxes?|Clive Irving|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There have been previous waves of people moving to Texas, and we are now experiencing the latest wave.
Will Texas Stay Texan?|David Fontana|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the spring of 1933, few perceived Nazism with the gravity he did.
The Catholic Philosopher Who Took on Hitler|John Henry Crosby|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The army has since conducted a brutal wave of jailings against activists and journalists.
Behind Bars for the Holidays: 11 Political Prisoners We Want to See Free In 2015|Movements.Org|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The specific gravity is most conveniently estimated by means of the urinometer—Squibb's is preferable (Fig. 14).
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
But to wave this discourse of Heathens, how many self-contradicting principles are there held among Christians?
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801)|Daniel Defoe
One frequently wishes to ascertain the specific gravity of quantities of fluid too small to float an urinometer.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
The wave-like movement of these animals is particularly graceful and cleverly done.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D.|Clara Erskine Clement
She would never forget it; but realizing its gravity, she decided thereupon never to tell it—the dream—to anybody.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux

British Dictionary definitions for gravity wave

gravity wave

noun physics

a wave propagated in a gravitational field, predicted to occur as a result of an accelerating mass

a surface wave on water or other liquid propagated because of the weight of liquid in the crests

Symbol: gravitational 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