white dwarf

noun

plural white dwarfs
Synonyms of white dwarfnext
: a small hot whitish star of low intrinsic brightness usually with a mass approximately equal to that of the sun but with a density many times larger

Examples of white dwarf in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The powerful thermonuclear explosions on the surfaces of two white dwarfs have been resolved in detail for the first time, revealing that these eruptions are more complex than previously thought. Keith Cooper, Space.com, 11 Dec. 2025 To understand a nova, first understand a white dwarf. Keith Matheny, Freep.com, 11 Dec. 2025 At the heart of this bipolar nebula is a white dwarf star that cast aside its outer layers of gas long ago. CBS News, 27 Nov. 2025 The hypothesis was based on the taking of distance measurements to faraway galaxies using type 1a supernovae, stellar explosions that occur in twin star systems where one of the stars is a white dwarf. Ian Randall, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for white dwarf

Word History

First Known Use

1922, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of white dwarf was in 1922

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Cite this Entry

“White dwarf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/white%20dwarf. Accessed 17 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

white dwarf

noun
: a small whitish star of low brightness that has a mass approximately equal to that of the sun but that is many times more dense

More from Merriam-Webster on white dwarf

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