centripetal force

noun

: the force that is necessary to keep an object moving in a curved path and that is directed inward toward the center of rotation
a string on the end of which a stone is whirled about exerts centripetal force on the stone
compare centrifugal force

Examples of centripetal force in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Unlike his compatriots, Eversley brought science and metaphysics to bear in his explorations of light, routinely applying centripetal force to create sleek, luminous works whose transparent forms radiate a crystalline energy that can seem cool and warm at the same time. News Desk, Artforum, 24 Mar. 2025 The Jews' entire existence, to say nothing of their flourishing, necessarily hinges on successfully thwarting the centripetal force of modern global neoliberalism. Newsweek, 18 Mar. 2025 The stifling centripetal forces of globalism despise the defiant particularism of the Jewish nation and the modern Jewish state. Newsweek, 18 Mar. 2025 There are areas in space where there's a happy medium of both gravitational and centripetal forces, which are known as Lagrange points. Meredith Garofalo, Space.com, 15 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for centripetal force

Word History

First Known Use

1686, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of centripetal force was in 1686

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Centripetal force.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/centripetal%20force. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

centripetal force

noun
: the force that tends to cause a thing or parts of a thing to go inward toward a center of rotation

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