meteor

¹ 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. ² American  

abbreviation

1. meteorological.

2. meteorology.

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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

Explanation

A meteor is a space rock that hits Earth's atmosphere. It's also another word for a shooting star — which is not a star at all, but a streak of light visible in the sky when a meteor burns up in the atmosphere. There are a lot of large objects in space: stars, planets, and moons. There are smaller bodies, too, such as meteoroids — small chunks of rock or metal orbiting the sun. When a meteoroid enters Earth's atmosphere, it becomes a meteor. This word is also used for the streak of light caused when this happens, commonly called a shooting star. Sometimes there are meteor showers, when Earth passes through a trail of space objects that then burn up due to friction with Earth's atmosphere.

Example Sentences

They also described flashes of light -- meteor strikes -- on the Moon's surface.

From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026

Cinquemani's work draws attention to a less-studied type of hydrothermal system formed by meteor impacts.

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026

That could be a coincidence, but it’s also possible that a meteor will come crashing to my window and hit me right now.

From Slate • Mar. 31, 2026

No one should ever be above skepticism no matter how sanctified and righteous they may seem — that’s why the New York Times investigation crashed into the Chicano collective sense of self like a meteor.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

Their tight, shiny bike pants shoot past, meteor streaks of luminescent yellow.

From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti

Related Words

• meteoroid
• shooting star