particle physics

noun

: a branch of physics dealing with the constitution, properties, and interactions of elementary particles especially as revealed in experiments using particle accelerators

called also high-energy physics

particle physicist noun

Examples of particle physics in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Abhay Deshpande, PhD, BNL associate laboratory director for nuclear and particle physics and science director for the EIC, noted the EIC marks a major step forward in exploring matter and the strongest force in nature. —Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 15 Apr. 2026

The unusual characteristics of dark matter have prompted scientists to search beyond the standard model of particle physics for particles that could comprise it. —Robert Lea, Space.com, 10 Apr. 2026

But after the Higgs discovery, the particle physics headlines went quiet again, with searches for other hypothesized particles yielding the sigh-inducing null result. —Mariangela Lisanti, Twin Cities, 27 Mar. 2026

The antimatter transport took place at CERN’s facilities near Geneva, the site of the world’s largest particle physics laboratory. —Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 27 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1946, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for particle physics

• tectonophysics
• astrophysics
• geophysics
• metaphysics