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

Primordial black holes could travel through stars as they move across the universe.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026

Disney Jr. is now building a Marvel preschool universe of sorts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

In a summer of Gen Z-driven blockbusters and ancient Greek juggernauts, the 38th entry in the Marvel universe can’t help smelling like your uncle’s sweaty Comic-Con ball cap.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

"Up in the high sweet air of that universe, it's very small and there's very few people and they're all making contact with each other," he said.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

“Everybody knows that Einstein’s the greatest scientist in the universe, and someday I hope to be the same.”

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

“It’s going to be really cool to have the comic book store be more dimensional since in the different universes, the comic book store is different,” says Sussman.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

Surely literature is a path to discovering other sensibilities, other universes; “Reading Lolita in Tehran,” by contrast, is about people essentially saying, “This book is meaningful because it reminds me of my life.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 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

What different universes existed within this one world of ours!

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo