molecule

noun mol·e·cule \ ˈmä-li-ˌkyül \

Definition of molecule

1 :the smallest particle of a substance that retains all the properties (see property 1a) of the substance and is composed of one or more atoms (see atom 1a)

a molecule of water

a molecule of oxygen

2 :a tiny bit :particle

a molecule of political honesty
—Time

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Examples of molecule in a Sentence

There is not a molecule of evidence to support these charges.
not a molecule of sense in that girl

Recent Examples of molecule from the Web

It’s hard to have a sane national or personal life if factional narratives suck up every molecule of oxygen.

— fred bauer, National Review, "Rebuilding the Public Square after Charlottesville," 18 Aug. 2017
A competing theory suggests that adding water releases molecules that improve the flavor.

— jenna gallegos, chicagotribune.com, "The best way to drink whiskey, according to science," 17 Aug. 2017
Wood says doing so breaks down the molecules, which helps the oil penetrate deeper into your hair follicles.

— rachel nussbaum, Glamour, "The Real Reason Celebrities’ Hair Always Looks So Shiny," 17 Aug. 2017
In 1985, scientists actually synthesized something like them as buckminsterfullerene molecules (a name inspired by the architect Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic domes).

— sam roberts, New York Times, "David E.H. Jones, Scientist Whose Alter Ego Challenged Conventions, Dies at 79," 30 July 2017
The impact briefly energizes the gaseous molecules before it's released in the form of colorful light.

— ben panko, Smithsonian, "Astronaut Captures ‘Awesome Sauce’ of Aurora From Space," 29 July 2017
The excision mechanism consists of two molecules: an enzyme (Cas9) derived from a bacterium called Streptococcus pyogenes, and a piece of RNA, a chemical akin to DNA that is made up of similar genetic letters.

— The Economist, "Gene drivesA promising means of pest control meets some evolutionary truths," 22 July 2017
What are PFOs? PFOs is an organic molecule that contains fluorine.

— leada gore, AL.com, "Fish advisories: What Alabama fish are safe to eat? Understanding Health Department species alerts," 11 July 2017
These vaccines were made of RNA molecules , the compounds that encode the instructions used to make proteins such as neoantigens.

— Fox News, "Cancer vaccines help patients get tumor-free in 2 studies," 10 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'molecule.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.