1
: a soft black lustrous form of carbon that conducts electricity and is used in lead pencils and electrolytic anodes, as a lubricant, and as a moderator in nuclear reactors
2
: a composite material in which carbon fibers are the reinforcing material
Examples of graphite in a Sentence
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Critical minerals include cobalt, graphite, silicon, copper, nickel, titanium and lithium, and are critical to supply chains for many modern products like electric vehicle batteries, semiconductors and smartphones.
—
Kristin Brown, CBS News, 2 Feb. 2026
The world’s second-largest island nation, where the military seized power last year, has long relied on its exports of nickel, cobalt, graphite, and ilmenite, critical minerals used to produce items such as electric-vehicle batteries and aerospace alloys.
—Preeti Jha, semafor.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Sodium, on the other hand, cannot be stored in graphite.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 27 Jan. 2026
Market demand for minerals like graphite, cobalt, nickel and nickel is expected to increase by up to 60% by 2040, according to the International Energy Agency.
—Ty Roush, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for graphite
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Kristin Brown, CBS News, 2 Feb. 2026
The world’s second-largest island nation, where the military seized power last year, has long relied on its exports of nickel, cobalt, graphite, and ilmenite, critical minerals used to produce items such as electric-vehicle batteries and aerospace alloys.
—Preeti Jha, semafor.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Sodium, on the other hand, cannot be stored in graphite.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 27 Jan. 2026
Market demand for minerals like graphite, cobalt, nickel and nickel is expected to increase by up to 60% by 2040, according to the International Energy Agency.
—Ty Roush, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for graphite
Cite this Entry
“Graphite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/graphite. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
graphite
noun
graph·ite
ˈgraf-ˌīt 
: a soft shiny black carbon that is used in making lead pencils and as a dry lubricant
Medical Definition
graphite
noun
graph·ite
ˈgraf-ˌīt
: carbon of a soft black lustrous form that conducts electricity and is used in lead pencils and electrolytic anodes, as a lubricant, and as a moderator in nuclear reactors
called also plumbago
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