binary system

noun

: binary star
also : a similar system containing bodies (such as black holes) other than stars

Examples of binary system in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Thus, if free-floating planetary mass objects are indeed brown dwarfs, the sheer number of them seen as binary systems is difficult to explain. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 10 Mar. 2025 Every 78 to 80 years, the white dwarf in this binary system accumulates enough material from its companion red giant star to trigger a thermonuclear explosion. — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 2 Mar. 2025 Writing to a Jesuit missionary in China, Leibniz floated the idea that the binary system might help to convert the Chinese to Christianity, by familiarizing them with the Biblical concept of creation ex nihilo. — Anthony Gottlieb, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025 Around 50% of stars with masses around that of the sun exist in a binary system with another star. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 20 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for binary system

Word History

First Known Use

1802, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of binary system was in 1802

Rhymes for binary system

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Browse Nearby Words

binary star
binary system
binary theory
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“Binary system.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/binary%20system. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.

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Kids Definition

binary system

noun
: a system of two objects that revolve around each other
especially : binary star

More from Merriam-Webster on binary system

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about binary system

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