dipole

noun

di·​pole ˈdī-ˌpōl How to pronounce dipole (audio)
1
a
: a pair of equal and opposite electric charges or magnetic poles of opposite sign separated especially by a small distance
b
: a body or system (such as a molecule) having such charges or poles
2
: a radio antenna consisting of two horizontal rods in line with each other with their ends slightly separated
dipolar
ˈdī-ˌpō-lər How to pronounce dipole (audio)
ˌdī-ˈpō-
adjective

Examples of dipole in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Roughly speaking, bending the crystal causes the dipoles to align, creating a bulk electric field. IEEE Spectrum, 11 Feb. 2024 Trapping molecular ions this way isn't new, but no one had previously thought such traps would work for an electric dipole measurement on electrons. Luke Caldwell, Scientific American, 16 Jan. 2024 Beneath the dipole sit one-part-in-a-million temperature differences, a sign of the first density fluctuations that would grow to dominate the entire cosmos. Paul Sutter, Ars Technica, 24 Apr. 2023 The researchers engineered their CMOS chips to form dipoles at the interface of both the n- and p-type transistors by adding different metal impurities to each. IEEE Spectrum, 21 Dec. 2023 But unlike Earth’s magnetic field or that of a bar magnet, the sun’s magnetism is patchy and highly fluid, even during its dipole stage. Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2023 This time the dipole state will occur around the turn of the 2030s. Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2023 Mars has a mosaic of local magnetic fields on its crust From their high perches above Martian ground, the MAVEN and Mars Global Surveyor satellites confirmed that Mars has no planetary magnetic dipole like Earth. Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Oct. 2023 When the sun is dormant, its magnetic field is a dipole, like a bar magnet with positive and negative ends. Javier Barbuzano, Quanta Magazine, 7 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dipole.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1912, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of dipole was in 1912

Dictionary Entries Near dipole

Cite this Entry

“Dipole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dipole. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dipole

noun
di·​pole ˈdī-ˌpōl How to pronounce dipole (audio)
: a pair of equal and opposite electric charges or magnetic poles of opposite sign separated especially by a small distance

Medical Definition

dipole

noun
di·​pole ˈdī-ˌpōl How to pronounce dipole (audio)
1
: a pair of equal and opposite electric charges or magnetic poles of opposite sign separated by a small distance
2
: a body or system (as a molecule) having such charges

More from Merriam-Webster on dipole

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