1A pattern of lines or rays radiating from a central object or source of light: [as modifier]: a starburst pattern
More example sentences
- The viewer was greeted by a starburst of white lines radiating from the center of a yellow, rectangular, floor-to-ceiling field.
- Infected kernels may be pink or show a white starburst pattern radiating from the top of the kernel.
- You will begin to see patterns and colours and starbursts.
1.1An explosion producing a starburst effect.
- The starburst sound effect continues to blow the listener out of the room on high volume.
- Above the trenches, starbursts of artillery lit the sky, dissolving into green and red and orange streaks.
- As the voices grow quieter and then fall into silence, somewhere a child lights off a Roman candle, and the resulting starburst reminds those gathered of a prayer answered, a request granted.
1.3A period of intense activity in a galaxy involving the formation of stars.
- Here the star formation rate may be higher, so these galaxies are called starbursts.
- NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has found new populations of suspected mid-mass black holes in several starburst galaxies, where stars form and explode at an unusually high rate.
- On a grander scale, the new nebula observations could hold clues to star formation in distant galaxies, including so-called starburst galaxies, in which stars are forming like gangbusters.
For editors and proofreaders
Definition of starburst in:
What do you find interesting about this word or phrase?
Comments that don't adhere to our Community Guidelines may be moderated or removed.