orbital

or·bit·al | \ ˈȯr-bə-tᵊl

How to pronounce orbital (audio)

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Definition of orbital

: a mathematically described region around a nucleus in an atom or molecule that may contain zero, one, or two electrons

Examples of orbital in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Even if the orbitals are distorted by the surface and have different energies, the electrons just swap energy with each other as well. — Chris Lee, Ars Technica, "Atoms spin backward while flying along a surface," 23 Sep. 2019 Some electrons are stored in atomic orbitals that look a bit like dumbbells that are at right angles to each other. — Chris Lee, Ars Technica, "Atoms spin backward while flying along a surface," 23 Sep. 2019 There is no in-between state, no variation in frequency as would be expected if the electron was initially located in different points in these orbitals. — Quanta Magazine, "Solution: ‘Taming Quantum Weirdness’," 10 Mar. 2017 Chemistry is a sort of applied physics, with the behavior of electrons and their orbitals dictating a set of rules for which reactions can take place and what products will remain stable. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "AI plus a chemistry robot finds all the reactions that will work," 18 July 2018 Not mere Center City orbitals, these nonprofit suburban theaters are their own heavenly bodies, with their own individual fields of gravity. — John Timpane, Philly.com, "Surprise: There's good theater in the Philly suburbs," 13 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'orbital.' 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 orbital

orbital electron

Statistics for orbital

Last Updated

13 Dec 2019

Cite this Entry

“Orbital.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/orbital. Accessed 15 December 2019.

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