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nova

[noh-vuh] / ˈnoʊ və /
NOUN
variable star that suddenly erupts
Synonyms
STRONGEST
STRONG
WEAK
aster orb


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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The project, released just before Coachella, blended a diverse range of rhythms such as pop, Brazilian funk, R&B and bossa nova -- a mix that, for Sonza, is the essence of Brazil.

From Barron's ● Apr. 13, 2026

It unexpectedly held onto its outer layers for more than 50 days before releasing them, offering the clearest evidence yet for a delayed expulsion in a nova.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 31, 2025

Pair the bagels with hand sliced nova salmon, cream cheese, and a slice of tomato for a true feast.

From Salon ● Dec. 4, 2025

“Oganesson” is constructed around his delicate strummed riff, which recalls the ease of bossa nova, and it has an airiness and jazziness not found elsewhere on the record.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2025

The real revolution in astronomy came with Tycho Brahe’s nova, with the abandonment of belief in the crystalline spheres, and with the invention of the telescope.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

The team focused on two novae that erupted in 2021 and found that they behaved in strikingly different ways.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 31, 2025

The researchers estimate that the rate of ONe novae peaked around 8 billion years ago, meaning that phosphorus would have been readily available when the Solar System started to form around 4.6 billion years ago.

From Science Daily ● May 10, 2024

Some even linked this possibility with novae observed in the sky — sudden bursts of light that dazzle the midnight firmament.

From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2023

"I was looking for a much more common type of outburst called novae."

From Scientific American ● May 3, 2023

Proper naked-eye observations of novae and comets could produce results incompatible with celestial-sphere astronomy, but these results were irrelevant to planetary predictions.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Infrared data can yield signals of colder material, in contrast to bright visible light signals that often come from novas and other powerful events.

From Scientific American ● May 3, 2023

There was a kind of cosmic rightness: two novas exploding together.

From New York Times ● Dec. 19, 2018

There’s so much music in Berlin’s stories, from the “Cielito Lindo” guitar players of her youth to her own music: Buddy Holly, Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, the bossa novas of Astrud Gilberto.

From New York Times ● Oct. 29, 2018

The Brazilian duo Minas will perform jazz sambas and bossa novas.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 1, 2015

Arguments over the location of novas and comets in the heavens thus continued even after 1610, after which date the traditional Ptolemaic system was abandoned by all competent participants.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton


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