electron volt

noun

: a unit of energy equal to the energy gained by an electron in passing from a point of low potential to a point one volt higher in potential : 1.60 × 10⁻¹⁹ joule

Examples of electron volt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Reducing the sulfur-removal threshold to around 10 or 14 electron volts significantly expands that safety window, providing manufacturers with a more practical operating range in which the top layer can be removed cleanly while preserving the structural integrity of the material below. — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 21 June 2026

Specifically, a sterile neutrino weighing one or two electron volts, a unit of mass and energy, seemed to tie everything together. — Quanta Magazine, 8 Apr. 2026

The current prototype has a capacity of only a few billion electron volts, barely enough to power anything. — New Atlas, 4 Apr. 2026

Particle physicists, however, use a far smaller unit called an electron volt (or eV). — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 3 Apr. 2026

The 200+200 giga-electron volt proton-proton collider was designed to use advanced superconducting magnets cooled by a massive helium refrigeration system to produce high-energy collisions. — IEEE Spectrum, 5 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1930, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for electron volt

• bolt
• boult
• colt
• jolt
• molt
• moult
• poult
• smolt
• volte
• kilovolt
• millivolt
• landolt

Medical Definition

electron volt

noun

: a unit of energy equal to the energy gained by an electron in passing from a point of low potential to a point one volt higher in potential : 1.60 × 10⁻¹⁹ joule