big bang theory

noun

: a theory in astronomy: the universe originated billions of years ago in a rapid expansion from a single point of nearly infinite energy density compare steady state theory

Examples of big bang theory in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Ten years ago, the Large Hadron Collider, the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator, found the Higgs boson particle, helping to explain the big bang theory and how the universe was formed. Nate Trela, USA TODAY, 20 Sep. 2017 Science has already yielded lots of answers, including the theory of evolution, the genetic code, quantum mechanics, general relativity and the big bang theory. John Horgan, Scientific American, 7 Aug. 2021 The big bang theory The entertainment business’s original script was simple. The Economist, 14 Nov. 2019 The old big bang theory as developed by Georges Lemaître, [George] Gamow and others is based on Einstein's theory of general relativity. Alexander Hellemans, Scientific American, 24 May 2018 If the big bang theory is an explanation on how the universe was created, then what existed before the big bang occurred? Dan Vergano, Cincinnati.com, 14 Mar. 2018 The title came from our whole thing, which is like the big bang theory. Andrew Dansby, Houston Chronicle, 24 Jan. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'big bang theory.' 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

1955, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of big bang theory was in 1955

Dictionary Entries Near big bang theory

Cite this Entry

“Big bang theory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/big%20bang%20theory. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

big bang theory

noun
: a theory that the universe was created billions of years ago as a result of a giant explosion
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