metaverse
Americannoun
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(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.
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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.
noun
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a 3D virtual world, esp in an online role-playing game
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the universe as portrayed in a given work of fiction
Etymology
Origin of metaverse
From meta- ( def. ) + (uni)verse ( def. ); coined by U.S. author Neal Stephenson (born 1959) in his cyberpunk novel Snow Crash (1992)
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.
That’s good, because the metaverse bit of Meta hasn’t withstood the test of time.
From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2026
He later put pen to paper to explain the company's ill-fated pivot to the metaverse in 2021.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Not too long ago, augmented reality was the hot topic in tech circles, and the metaverse was the next big thing.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
Five years later, the metaverse still hasn’t taken off, and Meta has started to shift resources and focus away from it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026
The cuts hit Meta’s Reality Labs division, where employees work on the metaverse, digital spaces where people socialize, work and learn.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2026
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
