cosmic ray

noun

: a stream of atomic nuclei of extremely penetrating character that enter the earth's atmosphere from outer space at speeds approaching that of light

Examples of cosmic ray in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Earth’s magnetic field also prevents cosmic rays from reaching the astronauts. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 19 Sep. 2024 Things like supernova explosions and the solar wind can create cosmic rays with enough energy to make neutrons rain down on Earth. Briley Lewis, Popular Science, 5 Sep. 2024 It's made up of three kinds of radiation: particles trapped in Earth's magnetic field, particles from solar flares and galactic cosmic rays, NASA said. Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2024 The instruments lie more than a kilometer underground to avoid interference from cosmic rays and other sources of energy. Saima S. Iqbal, Scientific American, 4 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for cosmic ray 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cosmic ray.' 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

1925, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cosmic ray was in 1925

Dictionary Entries Near cosmic ray

Cite this Entry

“Cosmic ray.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cosmic%20ray. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

cosmic ray

noun
: a stream of atomic nuclei of extremely penetrating character that enter the earth's atmosphere from outer space at speeds approaching that of light

More from Merriam-Webster on cosmic ray

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