Meaning & use
zero-gravity
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a nountechnical
Relating to a condition in which people or objects seem to have no weight because they are falling freely.
Grammar: Used before a noun: zero-gravity conditions, a zero-gravity environment.
Patterns
- zero-gravity environment
- zero-gravity conditions
- zero-gravity flight
Astronauts train in a zero-gravity environment to prepare for space missions.
The movie shows a zero-gravity scene where objects float around the cabin.
Scientists study how plants grow in zero-gravity conditions.
noununcountabletechnical
A state in which people or objects experience no apparent weight.
Grammar: Uncountable; often used with 'in' or 'under'.
Patterns
- in zero gravity
- experience zero gravity
The astronauts experienced zero gravity for the first time.
In zero gravity, liquids form floating spheres.
Common combinations
- zero-gravity environment
- The space station provides a zero-gravity environment for experiments.
- zero-gravity conditions
- Materials behave differently under zero-gravity conditions.
- simulate zero gravity
- They use a special aircraft to simulate zero gravity for training.
- float in zero gravity
- Objects float in zero gravity because they are in free fall.
Synonyms and how they differ
- weightlessness
- Weightlessness is the everyday term for the feeling of having no weight; zero gravity is more technical and often used in scientific contexts.
- microgravity
- Microgravity is the scientific term for very small gravity, which is what actually occurs in orbit; zero gravity is a looser, popular term.
Opposites
Word family
- gravity noun
- The force that attracts objects toward each other, especially toward the Earth.
Commonly confused: zero-gravity or zero gravity?
zero-gravity vs zero gravity
The same meaning, but usually written as two words when used as a noun phrase: 'in zero gravity'.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'zero-gravity' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option A correctly uses 'zero-gravity' as a noun meaning a state of no apparent weight. Option B is wrong because zero-gravity does not occur on Earth's surface. Option C is wrong because a zero-gravity experiment requires a free-fall environment, not the ground. Option D is wrong because gravity still exists in orbit; the sensation is due to free fall.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “zero-gravity”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.