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red dwarf
noun
: a star having substantially lower surface temperature, intrinsic luminosity, mass, and size than the sun
Examples of red dwarf in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Too Hot For Life Barnard’s star is a red dwarf star, a low-mass, cool star that comprises about 70% of all the stars in the Milky Way.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2024
Orbiting a red dwarf star, which typically has a longer lifespan than larger stars like our Sun, Kepler-186f might benefit from stable conditions for billions of years, giving life more time to potentially develop.
—Anna Nordseth, Discover Magazine, 31 July 2024
Attention has instead turned to small, red dwarf stars, or M-dwarfs, which are between 10% and 60% of the size of the Sun and less than 7% as bright.
—Bydaniel Clery, science.org, 20 June 2024
That was never going to be easy, because red dwarfs like TRAPPIST-1 tend to be tempestuous, erupting and flaring in ways that can blast away atmospheres and also confound the weak atmospheric signal JWST is trying to detect.
—Bydaniel Clery, science.org, 20 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for red dwarf
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'red dwarf.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1926, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near red dwarf
Cite this Entry
“Red dwarf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/red%20dwarf. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
red dwarf
noun
: a star having much lower surface temperature, brightness, mass, and size than the sun
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for red dwarf
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