meteor

/ˈmiːtiə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈmiːtiər/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈmē-tē-ər -ˌȯr/ (ame, mw)

meteor — noun

  • meteorsingular
  • meteorsplural

1. the short, bright line of light you see in the night sky when a small piece of r

1.名詞B2
釋義

the short, bright line of light you see in the night sky when a small piece of rock from space burns up high above the ground — commonly called a shooting star.

例句

Camila spotted a bright meteor streaking across the sky above the lake.

collocation: meteor streaking across the sky

The campers cheered every time a meteor flashed over the desert.

collocation: meteor flashed over [place]

同義詞
  • shooting star

    everyday word for the same streak; very common in casual speech

  • falling star

    informal; same referent as shooting star

文法句型

see + a meteor

a meteor + streak across

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 2: this is the visible streak in the sky. The solid rock itself is sense 2 (the body that produces the streak). Often used with verbs of motion: streak, flash, cross, shower.

常見錯誤

❌I saw a meteor land in my garden.
✅I saw a meteorite land in my garden.
💡once the rock survives the fall and reaches the ground, English calls it a meteorite, not a meteor.

2. a small piece of rock or metal from space that enters the air around the Earth a

2.名詞B2
釋義

a small piece of rock or metal from space that enters the air around the Earth at high speed and starts to burn because of friction.

例句

Most meteors are no bigger than a grain of sand when they enter our atmosphere.

pattern: meteors enter [the] atmosphere

Felix learned at school that a meteor burns up long before it touches the ground.

collocation: meteor burns up

同義詞
  • meteoroid

    the same rock while still in space, before entering the atmosphere

  • bolide

    technical term for an unusually bright, often exploding meteor

文法句型

a meteor + enter/hit

用法筆記

Technical term in astronomy for the body itself, as opposed to sense 1 (the visible streak). Distinguish from related words: a meteoroid is the rock in space before it enters the atmosphere; a meteorite is what reaches the ground.

常見錯誤

❌A meteor crashed into the field and made a deep hole.
✅A meteorite crashed into the field and made a deep hole.
💡anything that reaches the ground is a meteorite; meteors burn up in the sky.