isotope
noun
iso·tope
ˈī-sə-ˌtōp 
1
: any of two or more species of atoms of a chemical element with the same atomic number and nearly identical chemical behavior but with differing atomic mass or mass number and different physical properties
2
: nuclide
Examples of isotope in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But how, then, were there isotopes of these different elements, where atoms with the same chemical properties as one another could have different masses from one another?
—
Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 30 Sep. 2025
It is also naturally produced through the decay of other isotopes found in used nuclear fuel.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2025
The metal appears to have been sourced from Wales and England, according to an isotope analysis.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 24 Sep. 2025
Neanderthals who lived in present-day Israel may have passed down local butchery techniques, and experiments indicated that late Pleistocene Neanderthals’ stable nitrogen-isotope ratios indicate not hypercarnivory but a diet rich in maggots.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for isotope
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Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 30 Sep. 2025
It is also naturally produced through the decay of other isotopes found in used nuclear fuel.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2025
The metal appears to have been sourced from Wales and England, according to an isotope analysis.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 24 Sep. 2025
Neanderthals who lived in present-day Israel may have passed down local butchery techniques, and experiments indicated that late Pleistocene Neanderthals’ stable nitrogen-isotope ratios indicate not hypercarnivory but a diet rich in maggots.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for isotope
Cite this Entry
“Isotope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/isotope. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
isotope
noun
iso·tope
ˈī-sə-ˌtōp
: any of the forms of an element that differ in the number of neutrons in an atom
Medical Definition
isotope
noun
iso·tope
ˈī-sə-ˌtōp
1
: any of two or more species of atoms of a chemical element with the same atomic number and position in the periodic table and nearly identical chemical behavior but with differing atomic mass or mass number and different physical properties
2
: nuclide
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