gravitational wave
noun
: a disturbance in space-time in the form of a wave that propagates the gravitational field
Gravitational waves are a natural offshoot of the rubber-sheet construction of general relativity. Just as a massive object sitting on the fabric of spacetime creates a dimple, so moving or changing objects, under certain conditions, create wrinkles in the fabric. Those wrinkles, tiny distortions in spacetime, zoom away at the speed of light. Because these gravitational waves carry energy, anything emitting them will lose a tiny bit of its speed.—
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For instance, a range of telescopes that can detect light, neutrinos and gravitational waves could track the way in which a collapsing star can generate a gamma-ray burst and kilonova.
—Charles Q. Choi, Space.com, 7 Apr. 2025
That year observations of a merging neutron star revealed that gravitational waves and electromagnetic waves arrived at Earth within three seconds of each other—after traversing a distance of 130 million light-years.
—Paul M. Sutter, Scientific American, 26 Feb. 2025
For a decade, physicists have also been able to detect pairs of such stellar mass black holes spiraling together by the ripples in spacetime, or gravitational waves, that their mergers produce.
—Byhannah Richter, science.org, 29 Jan. 2025
According to Mark Lemmon, an atmospheric scientist at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado, gravitational waves may be to blame.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 13 Feb. 2025
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Charles Q. Choi, Space.com, 7 Apr. 2025
That year observations of a merging neutron star revealed that gravitational waves and electromagnetic waves arrived at Earth within three seconds of each other—after traversing a distance of 130 million light-years.
—Paul M. Sutter, Scientific American, 26 Feb. 2025
For a decade, physicists have also been able to detect pairs of such stellar mass black holes spiraling together by the ripples in spacetime, or gravitational waves, that their mergers produce.
—Byhannah Richter, science.org, 29 Jan. 2025
According to Mark Lemmon, an atmospheric scientist at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado, gravitational waves may be to blame.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gravitational wave
Cite this Entry
“Gravitational wave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gravitational%20wave. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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