beryllium
noun
be·ryl·li·um
bə-ˈri-lē-əm 
: a chemical element of the alkaline earth metal group with atomic number 4 that occurs naturally in minerals such as beryl and is steel-gray in color, light and strong but brittle, and is used chiefly as a hardening agent in alloys see Chemical Elements Table
Examples of beryllium in a Sentence
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High-speed subatomic particles raining down from solar storms slam into the nitrogen in our atmosphere to create an isotope called beryllium 10, or Be-10, which can be captured in polar ice after falling to Earth’s surface.
—
Phil Plait, Scientific American, 1 May 2025
The carbons immediately decay, each into a helium-4 nucleus (an alpha particle) and a beryllium nucleus.
—IEEE Spectrum, 28 June 2011
The country has some of the world’s largest deposits of graphite, lithium, titanium, beryllium and uranium, all of which are classed by the US as critical minerals.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 1 May 2025
But tests of seawater collected before and after the heavy rains that came in late January, after the fires abated, identified five heavy metals — beryllium, copper, chromium, nickel and lead — at levels significantly above established safety thresholds for marine life.
—Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2025
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Phil Plait, Scientific American, 1 May 2025
The carbons immediately decay, each into a helium-4 nucleus (an alpha particle) and a beryllium nucleus.
—IEEE Spectrum, 28 June 2011
The country has some of the world’s largest deposits of graphite, lithium, titanium, beryllium and uranium, all of which are classed by the US as critical minerals.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 1 May 2025
But tests of seawater collected before and after the heavy rains that came in late January, after the fires abated, identified five heavy metals — beryllium, copper, chromium, nickel and lead — at levels significantly above established safety thresholds for marine life.
—Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for beryllium
Cite this Entry
“Beryllium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beryllium. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
beryllium
noun
be·ryl·li·um
bə-ˈril-ē-əm
: a steel-gray light strong brittle toxic metallic element used chiefly to help harden alloys see element
Medical Definition
beryllium
noun
be·ryl·li·um
bə-ˈril-ē-əm
: a steel-gray light strong brittle toxic bivalent metallic element used chiefly as a hardening agent in alloys
—symbol Be
see Chemical Elements Table
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