neutron

neu·tron | \ ˈnü-ˌträn

, ˈnyü- \

Definition of neutron

: an uncharged elementary particle that has a mass nearly equal to that of the proton and is present in all known atomic nuclei except the hydrogen nucleus

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Examples of neutron in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web One promethium isotope, with eighty-eight neutrons, has a half-life of a few days; the other, with eighty-six neutrons, has a half-life of a few years. — Neima Jahromi, The New Yorker, "The Histories Hidden in the Periodic Table," 27 Dec. 2019 Scientists have long suspected that neutron stars, the superdense remnants of burned out suns, are needed for this sort of rapid neutron capture. — Daniel Clery, Science | AAAS, "Some of the universe’s heavier elements are created by neutron star collisions," 23 Oct. 2019 Scientists, moreover, realized that atoms have structures, made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons; those structures can fall apart or get bigger. — Neima Jahromi, The New Yorker, "The Histories Hidden in the Periodic Table," 27 Dec. 2019 Its value seems to be zero, which makes the neutron’s charges stay in line. — Quanta Magazine, "Top Dark Matter Candidate Loses Ground to Tiniest Competitor," 27 Nov. 2019 Others—such as gold and uranium, which are the most neutron-rich—require a process called rapid neutron capture. — Daniel Clery, Science | AAAS, "Some of the universe’s heavier elements are created by neutron star collisions," 23 Oct. 2019 The experiment uses tritium (a highly radioactive isotope of hydrogen, with one proton and two neutrons) to generate electron-neutrino pairs: an electron and a neutrino that share 18,650 eV of energy between them. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Weighing in: Physicists cut upper limit on neutrino’s mass in half," 19 Sep. 2019 That says nothing about the number of neutrons the particle harbors inside. — Wired, "What Makes an Element? The Frankenstein of Sodium Holds Clues," 22 Nov. 2019 In addition to the speed factor, heavy elements like strontium also need incredibly hot environments full of free neutrons. — Ashley Strickland, CNN, "A collision of neutron stars created a fireworks element in space," 23 Oct. 2019

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

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Dictionary Entries near neutron

neutron activation analysis

neutron bomb

neutron star

Statistics for neutron

Last Updated

26 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Neutron.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neutron. Accessed 28 January 2020.

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More Definitions for neutron

neutron

noun

English Language Learners Definition of neutron

physics : a very small particle of matter that has no electrical charge and is part of the nucleus of all atoms except hydrogen atoms

See the full definition for neutron in the English Language Learners Dictionary

neutron

noun

neu·tron | \ ˈnü-ˌträn

, ˈnyü- \

Kids Definition of neutron

: a particle that has a mass nearly equal to that of the proton but no electrical charge and that is present in all atomic nuclei except those of hydrogen

neutron

noun

neu·tron | \ ˈn(y)ü-ˌträn

Medical Definition of neutron

: an uncharged elementary particle that has a mass nearly equal to that of the proton and is present in all known atomic nuclei except the hydrogen nucleus

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