isotope

1 of 2

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

isotopic

ˌī-sə-ˈtä-pik  -ˈtō- 

adjective

isotopically

ˌī-sə-ˈtä-pi-k(ə-)lē  -ˈtō- 

adverb

isotopic

2 of 2

adjective

iso·​topic

-¦tōp-

: of, relating to, or having the relationship of an isotope

isotopically

-pə̇k(ə)lē 

adverb

Examples of isotope in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Consequently, a muonic atom is as much as 207 times smaller than its vanilla counterpart, depending on the chemical isotope; an antiprotonic atom, as much as 1,800 times smaller. — George Musser, Quanta Magazine, 2 Nov. 2026

Many fusion designs therefore use deuterium and tritium, heavier isotopes of hydrogen. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2026

There, planetary scientists Carl Agee and Karen Ziegler measured its oxygen isotopes. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 30 Oct. 2026

Both isotopes are found in nature, but the smaller one is less stable and more likely to break apart when hit by an errant neutron. — Nick Bockelman, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

is- + Greek topos place

Adjective

International Scientific Vocabulary isotope + -ic

First Known Use

Noun

1913, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for isotope

• antelope
• bronchoscope
• cantaloupe
• cystoscope
• endoscope
• envelope
• epitope
• gyroscope
• horoscope
• microscope
• misanthrope
• pericope

Kids 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

isotopic

ˌī-sə-ˈtäp-ik 

-ˈtō-pik

adjective

isotopically

-ˈtäp-i-k(ə-)lē 

-ˈtō-pi-

adverb

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

isotopic

ˌī-sə-ˈtäp-ik  -ˈtō-pik 

adjective

isotopically

-ˈtäp-i-k(ə-)lē  -ˈtō-pi- 

adverb

isotopy

ˈī-sə-ˌtō-pē  ī-ˈsät-ə-pē 

noun

plural isotopies