electron

noun

elec·​tron i-ˈlek-ˌträn 

: an elementary particle consisting of a charge of negative electricity equal to about 1.602 × 10⁻¹⁹ coulomb and having a mass when at rest of about 9.109 × 10⁻³¹ kilogram or about ¹/₁₈₃₆ that of a proton

Examples of electron in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

When an electron beam was subsequently focused onto specific areas of the animal's body, the frozen anisole in those locations reacted by forming into a new biocompatible chemical. —New Atlas, 5 May 2025

Supply and demand of electrons must match every second, every minute, every hour, every day. —Javier Blas/bloomberg Opinion, Boston Herald, 29 Apr. 2025

But ultraviolet radiation changed the cloud itself in the process, knocking electrons off atoms and giving the gas an electric charge (or ionizing it, as physicists would say). —Kiona N. Smith, Space.com, 28 Apr. 2025

The Earth's magnetic field guides the electrons so that the aurora forms two ovals centered around the magnetic poles. —Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

electr- + -on entry 2

First Known Use

1891, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing electron

• Auger electron
• Auger electron spectroscopy
• electron cloud
• electron gas
• electron gun
• electron micrograph
• electron microscope
• electron multiplier
• electron optics
• electron probe
• electron transport
• electron tube
• electron volt
• free-electron laser
• scanning electron microscope
• valence electron

Rhymes for electron

• photoelectron

Kids Definition

electron

noun

elec·​tron i-ˈlek-ˌträn 

: an elementary particle that has a negative charge of electricity and travels around the nucleus of an atom

Medical Definition

electron

noun

elec·​tron i-ˈlek-ˌträn 

: an elementary particle consisting of a charge of negative electricity equal to about 1.602 × 10⁻¹⁹ coulomb and having a mass when at rest of about 9.109534 × 10⁻²⁸ gram or about ¹/₁₈₃₆ that of a proton