metaverse

noun

meta·​verse ˈme-tə-ˌvərs 

plural metaverses

1

computing : a persistent virtual (see virtual sense 2) environment that allows access to and interoperability of multiple individual virtual realities

To its proponents, the metaverse is the natural evolution of the internet. They envisage a sprawling network of interconnected virtual worlds for such diverse activities as gaming, watching live entertainment, … and collaborating on design projects.

—Edd Gent

also : any of the individual virtual environments that make up a metaverse

Metaverses are immersive three-dimensional virtual worlds in which people interact as avatars with each other and with software agents, using the metaphor of the real world but without its physical limitations.

—Alanah Davis et al.

2

cosmology : the hypothetical combination of all co-existing or sequentially existing universes compare multiverse

Examples of metaverse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Fortnite continues to add global celebrities to its growing metaverse, and now that has extended to one of the most famous living athletes in the world, Lionel Messi. —Paul Tassi, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024

And now, three years later, the term metaverse has largely disappeared from the public conversation, with Google Trends noting a sharp fall in searches for the term after 2022. —Devan Burris, CNBC, 7 Dec. 2024

Staying in the Comcast metaverse, major changes are in store for MSNBC, as the left-leaning network will be part of Comcast’s plans to spin it off into a new company along with other linear cable properties. —Ted Johnson, Deadline, 6 Dec. 2024

The company has was among the first to use e-commerce, use 3D holographic displays, immersive virtual store experiences and embrace the metaverse. —Jean E. Palmieri, WWD, 22 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

meta- + -verse (in universe)

First Known Use

1992, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

metaverse

noun

meta·​verse

ˈmet-ə-ˌvərs

1

: a persistent virtual environment that allows access to and interaction between multiple individual virtual realities

also : any of the individual virtual environments that make up a metaverse

2

: the hypothetical combination of all co-existing or sequentially existing universes