meteor.

¹ American  

abbreviation

1. meteorological.

2. meteorology.

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meteor ² American  

[mee-tee-er, -awr] / ˈmi ti ər, -ˌɔr /

noun

1. Astronomy.

   1. a meteoroid that has entered the earth's atmosphere.

   2. a transient fiery streak in the sky produced by a meteoroid passing through the earth's atmosphere; a shooting star or bolide.

2. any person or object that moves, progresses, becomes famous, etc., with spectacular speed.

3. (formerly) any atmospheric phenomenon, as hail or a typhoon.

4. Military. Meteor, Britain's first operational jet fighter, a twin-engine aircraft that entered service in 1944.

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meteor British  

/ ˈmiːtɪə /

noun

1. a very small meteoroid that has entered the earth's atmosphere. Such objects have speeds approaching 70 kilometres per second

2. Also called: shooting star.   falling star.  the bright streak of light appearing in the sky due to the incandescence of such a body heated by friction at its surface

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meteor Scientific  

/ mē′tē-ər /

1. A bright trail or streak of light that appears in the night sky when a meteoroid enters the Earth's atmosphere. The friction with the air causes the rock to glow with heat.

2. Also called shooting star

3. A rocky body that produces such light. Most meteors burn up before reaching the Earth's surface.

4. See Note at solar system

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meteor Cultural  

1. A streak of light in the sky, often called a “shooting star,” that occurs when a bit of extraterrestrial matter falls into the atmosphere of the Earth and burns up.

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Usage

What is a meteor? A meteor is space matter that has entered Earth’s atmosphere, as in I was able to see a meteor enter our atmosphere last night through my telescope.A meteor is also the bright, fiery streak that is visible in the sky when a meteor burns up. Meteors are often referred to as shooting stars or falling stars.Simply put, a meteor is a meteoroid that has entered Earth’s atmosphere. A meteoroid is a small body of matter usually composed of dust or rock that travels through outer space. A meteor that reaches Earth’s surface is called a meteorite.Meteor is sometimes used figuratively to mean something that moves or advances at high speed, as in The new rock band was a meteor that shot up the charts.The adjective meteoric describes something involved with or related to a meteor. Meteoric is also used to describe something that resembles a meteor in terms of brightness or speed, as in We were amazed by her meteoric rise to stardom in Hollywood.A large number of meteors traveling through Earth’s surface at one time is called a meteor shower.Example: She took great pictures of last night’s meteor as it zoomed across the sky.

Discover More

Meteor showers occur at regular times during the year.

Other Word Forms

• meteorlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of meteor

First recorded in 1570–80; from New Latin meteōrum, from Greek metéōron “meteor, a thing in the air,” noun use of neuter of metéōros “raised in the air,” equivalent to met- met- + eōr- (variant stem of aeírein “to raise”) + -os adjective suffix

Example Sentences

There is also a partial lunar eclipse, three supermoons, a blue Moon, a February planet alignment plus an array of meteor showers to enjoy.

From BBC

The Geminid meteor shower - one of the most spectacular in the celestial calendar - is set to peak this weekend and astronomers say conditions could make for an especially striking show if weather permits.

From BBC

From a planetary conjunction to the astronomical start of winter to some of 2025's most prolific meteor showers.

From BBC

"It's like a meteor heading towards Earth. Either it passes, or it hits us," top Hungarian tax firm Andersen's managing director Karoly Radnai told AFP.

From Barron's

In Mr. Serrano’s telling, the shot resembled a “meteor falling from space” before it zipped through the basket as the Philadelphia 76ers star “casually walked away from the play.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• meteoroid
• shooting star