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

While the metaverse has dominated discussions about virtual worlds, this article intentionally highlights a different yet equally transformative evolution: machine civilizations. —Jason Snyder, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2024

Play/Pause Button Pause An avatar waves hello in Meta Horizon Worlds. Beyond that main foyer, Meta’s metaverse is less focused, or at least doesn’t have the user base to build up a flourishing political space. —Boone Ashworth, WIRED, 6 Nov. 2024

Decentraland Music Festival is a product of Decentraland, an immersive digital world built using blockchain technology and owned and operated by its users through crypto technology, which differentiates it from corporate metaverses like Fortnite. —Katie Bain, Billboard, 24 Oct. 2024

Zuckerberg’s bet on the metaverse — which initially looked like a huge bust — has paid off in recent months, pushing his net worth to a high-water mark of $206.2 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. —Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 7 Oct. 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