metaverse

[ met-uh-vurs ]

noun

, Digital Technology.

1. (in science fiction) a shared, realistic, and immersive computer simulation of the real world or other possible worlds, in which people participate as digital avatars.
2. a theoretical or emergent networked online space with digitally persistent environments that people inhabit, as avatars, for synchronous interactions and experiences, accessing the shared virtual space through virtual reality, augmented reality, game consoles, mobile devices, or conventional computers.

metaverse

/ ˈmɛtəˌvɜːs /

noun

1. a 3D virtual world, esp in an online role-playing game
2. the universe as portrayed in a given work of fiction

Word History and Origins

Origin of metaverse¹

From meta- ( def ) + (uni)verse ( def ); coined by U.S. author Neal Stephenson (born 1959) in his cyberpunk novel Snow Crash (1992)

Word History and Origins

Origin of metaverse¹

C20: from meta- + ( uni ) verse

Example Sentences

In recent years, Meta has pumped billions of dollars into developing AI, AR and other metaverse technologies.

From BBC

Activities in the so-called metaverse might one day require extreme bandwidth, suggests Martin Creaner, director general of the World Broadband Association.

From BBC

Fast forward to our age of metaverse lies and deceptions, and one might ask similar questions about what’s real and what’s not: Is President Biden on a robocall telling Democrats to not vote?

From Los Angeles Times

The company’s stock plunged in 2022 over investor fears about the billions that it spent on the metaverse, the virtual- and augmented-reality technologies that the company previously said were its future.

From New York Times

Leon and other, human officers focused on the metaverse, an immersive digital reality where people can interact with one another, quickly became an endangered species.

From Seattle Times