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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
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Word History
First Known Use
1823, in the meaning defined above
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 22 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
speed of light
: a fundamental physical constant that is the speed at which electromagnetic radiation travels in a vacuum and that has a value of 299,792,458 meters per second
More from Merriam-Webster on speed of light
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about speed of light
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