Meaning & use
Milky Way
Last updated
Meanings
proper nounpropertechnical
The large spiral galaxy that contains our solar system and hundreds of billions of stars.
Grammar: Always used with 'the': the Milky Way. It is a proper noun, so both words are capitalized.
Patterns
- the Milky Way galaxy
- in the Milky Way
Our sun is just one of many stars in the Milky Way.
Astronomers study the shape of the Milky Way using radio telescopes.
proper nounproper
The faint band of light across the night sky made up of distant stars in our galaxy.
Grammar: Also used with 'the'. This sense refers to what you can see with your eyes, not the whole galaxy.
Patterns
- see the Milky Way
- the Milky Way in the sky
On a clear night far from city lights, you can see the Milky Way.
The Milky Way looked like a soft white cloud stretching across the sky.
Common combinations
- the Milky Way galaxy
- The Milky Way galaxy is about 100,000 light-years across.
- see the Milky Way
- We camped in the desert and saw the Milky Way clearly.
- stars in the Milky Way
- Scientists map the stars in the Milky Way.
Synonyms and how they differ
- our galaxy
- A general phrase for the same thing; 'the Milky Way' is the specific name.
Commonly confused: Milky Way or galaxy?
Milky Way vs galaxy
'Galaxy' is the general word for any such system of stars; the Milky Way is the particular one we live in.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
The Milky Way is our galaxy, so option 1 is correct. It is not a planet, star, or moon.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Milky Way”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.