binary system
Americannoun
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a system involving only two elements, as 0 and 1 or yes and no.
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Mathematics. a system of counting or measurement whose units are powers of two.
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Astronomy. binary star.
Etymology
Origin of binary system
First recorded in 1825–35
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Discovering three Earth-sized planets in such a compact binary system is a unique opportunity," says Zúñiga-Fernández.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 12, 2025
TOI-2267 consists of two stars locked in a close orbital dance, forming what astronomers call a compact binary system.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 12, 2025
This strange new world orbits around two stars at once, which dance around each other in what astronomers call a binary system.
From Space Scoop ● May 6, 2025
It’s a binary system; a choice of extremes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2024
These observations were made by adjusting a micrometer to a very powerful telescope, and were data sufficient for the determination of the orbit of the revolving star, should it be a binary system.
From Personal Recollections, from Early Life to Old Age, of Mary Somerville by Somerville, Mary
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
