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

The gas and dust swirl together at high speeds, forming the accretion disk that feeds the black hole. —Ashley Strickland, CNN, 19 Feb. 2025

At 6-3, nearly 330 pounds, Williams is a disruptive force against the run, soaking up blockers, while trapping any runner in his vicinity like a black hole. —San Diego Union-Tribune, Orlando Sentinel, 19 Feb. 2025

This monster black hole is acting as a natural particle accelerator driving away gas and keeping it hot — according to theory, this should be curtailing star formation. —Robert Lea, Space.com, 18 Feb. 2025

Yet both players are stars, and when stars collide, there are two outcomes: some combine to become one greater star, others explode and form a black hole. —Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 15 Feb. 2025

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