black hole

noun

1

: a celestial object that has a gravitational field so strong that light cannot escape it and that is believed to be created especially in the collapse of a very massive star

2

: something resembling a black hole: such as

a

: something that consumes a resource continually

a financial black hole

b

: an empty space : void

… the archives of the past few years are a black hole.

—David Herman

c

: a dark and seemingly inescapable state or situation

the black hole of depression

Synonyms

• blank
• blankness
• emptiness
• vacancy
• vacuity
• void

Examples of black hole in a Sentence

discovered that there was a black hole in the library's collection with regard to her topic

Recent Examples on the Web

By studying the data the probes collect, scientists hope to learn more about not only black holes, but even the Big Bang theorized to be how the universe began. —Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 26 Oct. 2024

When galaxies merge, the supermassive black holes that sit in their centers must eventually merge, too, forming an even more gargantuan black hole. —Quanta Magazine, 23 Oct. 2024

Share [Findings] Terrestrial bacteria can grow on extraterrestrial nutrients; the black hole nearest Earth was discovered in the constellation Telescopium; and X-ray experiments conducted at the European Synchrotron indicated that moisture is destroying The Scream. —Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 23 Oct. 2024

These systems are made up of the black hole and a secondary object like a star, much denser neutron star, or another black hole. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 23 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1964, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

black hole

noun

: an invisible region believed to exist in space having a very strong gravitational field and thought to be caused by the collapse of a star