electron

noun

elec·​tron i-ˈlek-ˌträn 

: an elementary particle consisting of a charge of negative electricity equal to about 1.602 × 10⁻¹⁹ coulomb and having a mass when at rest of about 9.109 × 10⁻³¹ kilogram or about 1/1836 that of a proton

Examples of electron in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the work analyzed the state of Ni catalysts using scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy, together with in situ high energy resolution fluorescence detected X-ray absorption spectroscopy. —Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 26 Mar. 2026

Indiana is flat and sunny — possibly to the chagrin of the state's tourism board — and a complicated network of power lines operates like a massive expressway, shuttling electrons across the region. —Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 26 Mar. 2026

Corporate giants are desperate for green electrons. —David Frykman, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2026

The experiment was to measure the angle at which events that produced an electron-positron pair had those two particles, the electron and the positron, made relative to one another. —Big Think, 19 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

electr- + -on entry 2

First Known Use

1891, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing electron

• Auger electron
• Auger electron spectroscopy
• electron cloud
• electron gas
• electron gun
• electron micrograph
• electron microscope
• electron multiplier
• electron optics
• electron probe
• electron transport
• electron tube
• electron volt
• free-electron laser
• scanning electron microscope
• valence electron

Rhymes for electron

• photoelectron

Kids Definition

electron

noun

elec·​tron i-ˈlek-ˌträn 

: an elementary particle that has a negative charge of electricity and travels around the nucleus of an atom

Medical Definition

electron

noun

elec·​tron i-ˈlek-ˌträn 

: an elementary particle consisting of a charge of negative electricity equal to about 1.602 × 10⁻¹⁹ coulomb and having a mass when at rest of about 9.109534 × 10⁻²⁸ gram or about ¹/₁₈₃₆ that of a proton