gravitational wave

American

noun

Astronomy, Physics.

(in general relativity) a propagating wave of gravitational energy produced by accelerating masses, especially during catastrophic events, as the gravitational collapse of massive stars.

gravitational wave British

noun

physics another name for gravity wave

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of gravitational wave

First recorded in 1895–1900

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.

Their approach improves the precision of earlier gravitational wave based techniques.

From Science Daily

It is the clearest gravitational wave signal ever recorded from a pair of merging black holes, giving researchers an unusually sharp tool for testing Albert Einstein's theory of gravity, called general relativity.

From Science Daily

The gravitational wave known as GW250114 was created when two black holes collided, sending ripples through space-time.

From Science Daily

Each gravitational wave is named for the date it is detected, and the LIGO-VIRGO-KAGRA team publicly announced this one in September 2025.

From Science Daily

He and his collaborators think it is possible that future gravitational wave signals will not fully align with general relativity, offering clues to long-standing mysteries.

From Science Daily

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023