: 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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The gravitational pull of the star's remains would have been strong enough to crush together protons and electrons to form neutrons, meaning a neutron star is mostly made of neutrons.
—
Charles Q. Choi, Space.com, 22 May 2025
Here's a brief look: NASA's Dragonfly nuclear helicopter To study Titan's atmosphere and surface, Dragonfly will have a variety of instruments, including a mass spectrometer, a drill system and a neutron spectrometer.
—Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 12 May 2025
Read more Particle Physics 'Space Jaws': NASA Reveals Roaming Monster Black Hole That's Eating Stars
By detecting the number of protons and neutrons ejected in collisions, researchers were able to distinguish between the creation of other heavy elements like thallium and mercury—and gold.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025
Around neutron stars, atoms can turn into much heavier elements by accumulating many neutrons at once and decaying a series of times.
—Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for neutron
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Charles Q. Choi, Space.com, 22 May 2025
Here's a brief look: NASA's Dragonfly nuclear helicopter To study Titan's atmosphere and surface, Dragonfly will have a variety of instruments, including a mass spectrometer, a drill system and a neutron spectrometer.
—Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 12 May 2025
Read more Particle Physics 'Space Jaws': NASA Reveals Roaming Monster Black Hole That's Eating Stars
By detecting the number of protons and neutrons ejected in collisions, researchers were able to distinguish between the creation of other heavy elements like thallium and mercury—and gold.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025
Around neutron stars, atoms can turn into much heavier elements by accumulating many neutrons at once and decaying a series of times.
—Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for neutron
Cite this Entry
“Neutron.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neutron. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
neutron
noun
neu·tron
ˈn(y)ü-ˌträn 
: an uncharged atomic particle that has a mass nearly equal to that of the proton and is present in all known atomic nuclei except the hydrogen nucleus
Medical Definition
neutron
noun
neu·tron
ˈn(y)ü-ˌträn
: 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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