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noble gas
noun
: any of a group of rare gases that include helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and usually radon and that exhibit great stability and extremely low reaction rates
called also inert gas
Examples of noble gas in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And an ambitious plan by researchers in Canada aims to study molecules confined inside a solid crystal of frozen noble gas.
—Luke Caldwell, Scientific American, 16 Jan. 2024
Chemists group elements with similar properties, like halogens and noble gases.
—Robert M. Thorson, Discover Magazine, 9 Dec. 2023
The noble gas neon was first isolated by British chemists at the turn of the 20th century.
—Lina Abascal, Los Angeles Times, 22 Aug. 2023
Your chemistry teacher probably taught you that helium, a noble gas, never reacts with anything, but that turns out to be entirely untrue — at least, under certain highly exotic conditions.
—Corey S. Powell, Discover Magazine, 29 Oct. 2014
Another noble gas element helped to make the find possible.
—Ken Croswell, Discover Magazine, 12 Dec. 2019
Scerri, for one, is a fan, and notes that helium’s counterintuitive position may yet be vindicated — in 2017, the supposedly noble gas was found to form a stable compound with sodium at high pressure.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 12 Apr. 2022
The other option is to use a noble gas, such as neon.
—Discover Magazine, 12 Feb. 2019
Xenon is a colorless and odorless noble gas that is found in tiny amounts throughout our atmosphere.
—Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 7 July 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'noble gas.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1902, in the meaning defined above
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Cite this Entry
“Noble gas.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/noble%20gas. Accessed 18 Jun. 2024.
Medical Definition
noble gas
noun
no·ble gas
ˈnō-bəl-
: any of a group of rare gases that include helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and sometimes radon and that exhibit great stability and extremely low reaction rates
called also inert gas
More from Merriam-Webster on noble gas
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about noble gas
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