speed of light
noun phrase
: a fundamental physical constant that is the speed at which electromagnetic radiation propagates in a vacuum and that has a value fixed by international convention of 299,792,458 meters per second
—symbol c
Examples of speed of light in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Even with data traveling at the speed of light, any future chatter between Earth and Mars will take a frosting amount of time given the average distance of 140 million miles between the two planets.
—
Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 18 July 2024
With real-time payments, money moves at the speed of light—well, almost.
—Nick Chandi, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024
To get all of that working, the scientists needed to invent a device that could accelerate the particles to near the speed of light quickly and over a relatively small distance.
—Michael Franco, New Atlas, 11 Oct. 2024
The signal crossed the solar system at the speed of light, covering a distance of about 158 million miles in just 14 minutes.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 22 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for speed of light 
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.
Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 18 July 2024
With real-time payments, money moves at the speed of light—well, almost.
—Nick Chandi, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024
To get all of that working, the scientists needed to invent a device that could accelerate the particles to near the speed of light quickly and over a relatively small distance.
—Michael Franco, New Atlas, 11 Oct. 2024
The signal crossed the solar system at the speed of light, covering a distance of about 158 million miles in just 14 minutes.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 22 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for speed of light
Dictionary Entries Near speed of light
Cite this Entry
“Speed of light.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/speed%20of%20light. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share