isotope
noun
iso·tope
ˈī-sə-ˌtōp 
1
: any of two or more species of atoms of a chemical element with the same atomic number and nearly identical chemical behavior but with differing atomic mass or mass number and different physical properties
2
: nuclide
Examples of isotope in a Sentence
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Neanderthals who lived in present-day Israel may have passed down local butchery techniques, and experiments indicated that late Pleistocene Neanderthals’ stable nitrogen-isotope ratios indicate not hypercarnivory but a diet rich in maggots.
—
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
These gas centrifuges are key components in enriching uranium, which involves increasing the concentration of uranium-235—an isotope used as fuel in nuclear reactors.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2025
Researchers used multi-isotope analysis to determine where the bones came from.
—Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2025
This required the development of new and sophisticated element-separating techniques and improved methods to analyze isotopes with incredible precision.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for isotope
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Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
These gas centrifuges are key components in enriching uranium, which involves increasing the concentration of uranium-235—an isotope used as fuel in nuclear reactors.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2025
Researchers used multi-isotope analysis to determine where the bones came from.
—Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2025
This required the development of new and sophisticated element-separating techniques and improved methods to analyze isotopes with incredible precision.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for isotope
Cite this Entry
“Isotope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/isotope. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
isotope
noun
iso·tope
ˈī-sə-ˌtōp
: any of the forms of an element that differ in the number of neutrons in an atom
Medical Definition
isotope
noun
iso·tope
ˈī-sə-ˌtōp
1
: any of two or more species of atoms of a chemical element with the same atomic number and position in the periodic table and nearly identical chemical behavior but with differing atomic mass or mass number and different physical properties
2
: nuclide
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