nanotechnology

noun

nano·​tech·​nol·​o·​gy ˌna-nō-tek-ˈnä-lə-jē 

: the manipulation of materials on an atomic or molecular scale especially to build microscopic devices (such as robots)

Placing atoms as though they were bricks, nanotechnology will give us complete control over the structure of matter, allowing us to build any substance or structure permitted by the laws of nature.

—Science News

Once the province of science fiction, nanotechnology, the science of assembling materials one atom at a time, is now the rage among Silicon Valley investors.

—Karen Breslau

nanotechnological

ˌna-nō-ˌtek-nə-ˈlä-ji-kəl 

adjective

nanotechnologist

ˌna-nō-tek-ˈnä-lə-jist 

noun

Did you know?

Nanotechnology, or nanotech for short, deals with matter at a level that most of us find hard to imagine, since it involves objects with dimensions of 100 billionths of a meter (1/800th of the thickness of a human hair) or less. The chemical and physical properties of materials often change greatly at this scale. Nanotechnology is already being used in automobile tires, land-mine detectors, and computer disk drives. Nanomedicine is a particularly exciting field: Imagine particles the size of a blood cell that could be released into the bloodstream to form into tiny robots and attack cancer cells, or "machines" the size of a molecule that could actually repair the damaged interiors of individual cells.

Examples of nanotechnology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As director of Stanford University’s sustainability accelerator, Cui is an expert in nanotechnology, materials science and sustainable energy. —Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 4 Sep. 2025

And, in 2024, the Michigan University scientists reported promising results from their most recent arterial-clearing nanotechnology. —New Atlas, 26 Aug. 2025

The foundation is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization dedicated to encouraging scientific advancements while helping humanity survive existential risks and possible misuse of increasingly powerful technologies including genetic engineering, nanotechnology, and robotics/AI. —IEEE Spectrum, 19 Aug. 2025

So, rather than doing nanotechnology, this is like natural nanotechnology? —Quanta Magazine, 7 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1974, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for nanotechnology

• ethylenediamine
• idiosyncrasy
• phenomenology
• phenylenediamine
• abc
• absentee
• addressee
• adoptee
• agouti
• allottee
• amphorae
• amputee

Kids Definition

nanotechnology

noun

nano·​tech·​nol·​o·​gy

ˌnan-ō-tek-ˈnäl-ə-jē

: the art of using and controlling materials on an atomic or molecular scale especially in order to create microscopic devices