hypervelocity

noun

hy·​per·​ve·​loc·​i·​ty ˌhī-pər-və-ˈlä-sə-tē How to pronounce hypervelocity (audio)
-ˈlä-stē
: a high or relatively high velocity (such as thousands of feet or meters per second)

Examples of hypervelocity 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.
The study looked at hypervelocity stars, ones that are screaming through space at speeds far higher than stars around them. — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 22 May 2025 Spacecraft that’ve run dry today will be the seedbed for tumbling, hypervelocity shrapnel tomorrow. — IEEE Spectrum, 30 Sep. 2025 Secondly, none of the stars that remain in orbit around Sgr A* appear to be the left-behind, erstwhile companions of these hypervelocity stars. — Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2025 And the discovery of more hypervelocity stars, particularly in the southern hemisphere, could strengthen the argument. — The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 11 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hypervelocity

Word History

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hypervelocity was in 1949

Rhymes for hypervelocity

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Browse Nearby Words

hypervariable
hypervelocity
hyperventilate
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Cite this Entry

“Hypervelocity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hypervelocity. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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