wormhole

American  

[wurm-hohl] / ˈwɜrmˌhoʊl /

noun

1. a hole made by a burrowing or gnawing worm, as in timber, nuts, etc.

2. a theoretical passageway in space between a black hole and a white hole.

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wormhole British  

/ ˈwɜːmˌhəʊl /

noun

1. a hole made by a worm in timber, plants, etc

2. physics a tunnel in the geometry of space–time postulated to connect different parts of the universe

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wormhole Scientific  

/ wûrm′hōl′ /

1. A hole made by a burrowing worm.

2. A theoretical distortion of space-time that would link points in space through a second set of paths, some of which could be shorter than the shortest path without the wormhole. It is not known whether workholes are possible.

3. See more at space-time

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Other Word Forms

• wormholed adjective

Etymology

Origin of wormhole

First recorded in 1585–95; worm + hole

Example Sentences

And I fell into a deep Instagram wormhole after I was exposed, via my Explore page, to some truly mesmerizing Anne Geddes–knockoff A.I. baby fashion shows.

From Slate • Dec. 28, 2024

From cats and cucumbers to pimple popping and unboxings, the internet is awash with a vast array of videos to send people into a social media wormhole.

From BBC • Aug. 10, 2024

The Hotline loves alternative history — as noted on the podcast, I could ride the wormhole all the way back to the South winning Gettysburg.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 18, 2024

And to make matters worse, it’s disappeared, possibly into a wormhole.

From New York Times • Feb. 4, 2024

I’d thought the wormhole connecting my subconscious to the deadly nether regions was shutting down.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx

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