motor neuron

noun

: a neuron that passes from the central nervous system or a ganglion toward a muscle and conducts an impulse that causes movement

called also motoneuron

Examples of motor neuron in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The rare motor neuron disease affects nerve cells, weakening the muscles and leading to paralysis that eventually extends to the muscles that control speaking, eating and breathing, the Mayo Clinic explains. —Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 16 June 2025

Here’s how other university leaders have responded to the White House Walt’s project focused on early diagnosis and treatment options for ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, a motor neuron disease that causes paralysis and affects roughly 30,000 people in the US. —Taylor Romine, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2025

On average, people with motor neuron disease die 27 months after diagnosis, though outcomes vary widely, with some people living decades afterward. —David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025

But this past October, McCue, who is from the English town of Grimsby, was diagnosed with motor neuron disease (MND). —Cara Lynn Shultz, People.com, 21 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1898, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for motor neuron

• agamemnon
• automaton
• diencephalon
• panopticon
• phenomenon
• aileron
• antiphon
• autobahn
• carillon
• castellan
• celadon
• cephalon

Kids Definition

motor neuron

noun

: a neuron that passes from the central nervous system or a ganglion toward or to a muscle and carries a nerve impulse that causes movement compare sensory neuron

Medical Definition

motor neuron

noun

: a neuron that passes from the central nervous system or a ganglion toward or to a muscle and conducts a nerve impulse that causes movement

called also motoneuron

compare interneuron, sensory neuron