# sky

/ˈskaɪ/ (US) · /skˈaɪ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/sky
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. the atmosphere

noun · CEFR A1

the area above the earth where clouds, the sun, and the stars appear.

For teachers: the region of the atmosphere and outer space seen from the earth.

- The sky was a beautiful shade of pink as the sun began to set.
- Heavy grey clouds gathered across the sky, signaling that a severe thunderstorm was likely to break before evening.

### 2. heaven

noun · CEFR C1 · Literary · Archaic

the place where people believe God or gods live.

For teachers: the celestial abode of the divine or the souls of the departed.

- In the old story, the hero looked up to the sky to ask the gods for help.
- The poet frequently invoked the powers of the sky to witness his tragic oath of vengeance.

### 3. physics/spacetime

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a technical term for all the paths light can take from a single point.

For teachers: the set of all lightlike directions passing through a specific point in a spacetime manifold.

- The scientist explained how light moves through the sky in his physics lecture.
- In general relativity, the sky of an observer at a given event is represented by the celestial sphere of lightlike directions.

## Examples

- The sky is very blue today.
- As the sun began to set, the sky turned a beautiful shade of pink and orange.
- Astronomers spent the entire night scanning the clear desert sky for any sign of the passing comet, hoping to capture high-resolution images before dawn.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.