universe

American  

[yoo-nuh-vurs] / ˈju nəˌvɜrs /

noun

• universes
  plural

1. the universe. the totality of known or supposed objects and phenomena throughout space; the cosmos; macrocosm.

2. the whole world, especially with reference to humanity.

   a truth known throughout the universe.

3. a world or sphere in which something exists or prevails.

   his private universe.

4. in New Age philosophy and popular culture, a divine but nonpersonal being, consciousness, or field of energy believed to connect everything that is, allowing the interaction of the physical with the spiritual and thought with reality.

5. Also called universe of discourse. Logic. the aggregate of all the objects, attributes, and relations assumed or implied in a given discussion.

6. Also called universal set. Mathematics. the set of all elements under discussion for a given problem.

7. Statistics. the entire population under study.

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universe British  

/ ˈjuːnɪˌvɜːs /

noun

1. astronomy the aggregate of all existing matter, energy, and space

2. human beings collectively

3. a province or sphere of thought or activity

4. statistics another word for population

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universe Scientific  

/ yo̅o̅′nə-vûrs′ /

1. The totality of matter, energy, and space, including the Solar System, the galaxies, and the contents of the space between the galaxies. Current theories of cosmology suggest that the universe is constantly expanding.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subuniverse
  noun
• superuniverse
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• universes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of universe

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Old French univers, from Latin ūniversum, noun use of neuter of ūniversus “all, entire,” literally, “turned into one,” from ūni- uni- + versus “turned” (past participle of vertere “to turn”)

Explanation

Universe is a big word — in fact, it includes all matter and all of space. We can't see or know much about the outer limits of the universe, but we know that it has them, and the idea of matter contained within boundaries gives us other meanings for the word. You might refer to a "universe of ideas," or when conducting a scientific study, create "a universe of data." Universe can also mean a defined set of something — the five blocks between the playground and home can be the whole universe for a small child.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

universe universes

Lewis and Martin Luther King Jr. as students pressed him and Stuart to explain the basis for morality, the veracity of the Bible and the origins of the universe.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

Still, it comes with the usual trade-offs: a closed ecosystem that requires your whole household to be completely enmeshed in Apple’s universe.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

A massive galaxy cluster dating back to an era when such enormous structures were only beginning to take shape is challenging scientists' understanding of how the universe evolved.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

Developed during Albuquerque’s 2026 fellowship sponsored by the organization, “The Interval Between Things” continues her investigation of how people locate themselves within the landscape and the larger universe.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

The swirling colors of the universe, packed into our little atmosphere here on earth.

From "King and the Dragonflies" by Kacen Callender

For Gallo and his team of Aditya Aney, Tao Pan and William Koor, “both the AI and private credit universes face significant volatility.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

“We want to invent this feeling of being inside these universes, the sonification of nature in tune with what we call generative reality.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026

But near black holes, or in expanding and collapsing universes, both directions must be included for a consistent quantum description.

From Science Daily ● May 22, 2026

That may help explain how we wound up with “Alice in Wonderland”-style competing proclamations that made it sound as if Xi and Trump had been in different conversations, or perhaps different universes.

From Salon ● May 17, 2026

Most sets of values would give rise to universes that, although they might be very beautiful, would contain no one able to wonder at that beauty.

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