cosmic microwave background

noun

: background radiation

Examples of cosmic microwave background in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Yet another line of evidence comes from observations of the cosmic microwave background, the radiation left over from the very early universe, which can be studied with radio telescopes. —

Dan Falk, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Oct. 2024 The problem is that these estimates for the Hubble constant don’t match what the standard model of cosmology predicts based on patterns in the cosmic microwave background, the glow left over from the early universe. —

Laura Helmuth, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2024 The South Pole Telescope studies the cosmic microwave background, providing critical data on the universe's origins. —

Shelli Brunswick, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2024 The glow of that hot gas is now visible everywhere in the sky as the cosmic microwave background (CMB). —

Bydaniel Clery, science.org, 10 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for cosmic microwave background

Word History

First Known Use

1981, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of cosmic microwave background was in 1981

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Cosmic microwave background.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cosmic%20microwave%20background. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation