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

Narrated by actor Liam Neeson, the 30-minute presentation, aimed at audiences age 14 and up, is all about the science behind black holes. —Celia Wren, Washington Post, 27 June 2024

These can see lower frequency waves generated by much bigger events, such as the collision between black holes and neutron stars. —The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 20 June 2024

This, in turn, can form an accretion disk around the black hole that emits powerful X-rays and visible light. —Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 18 June 2024

Randle was not a black hole with the basketball, as had been his reputation in seasons past, after Anunoby’s arrival. —Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 17 June 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