particle

noun

par·​ti·​cle ˈpär-ti-kəl 

1

a

: a minute quantity or fragment

b

: a relatively small or the smallest discrete portion or amount of something

2

archaic : a clause or article of a composition or document

3

: any of the basic units of matter and energy (such as a molecule, atom, proton, electron, or photon)

4

: a unit of speech expressing some general aspect of meaning or some connective or limiting relation and including the articles, most prepositions and conjunctions, and some interjections and adverbs

the particle up has a perfective meaning in phrases such as beat up and cut up

5

: a small eucharistic wafer distributed to a Roman Catholic layman at Communion

Synonyms

• sprinkling
• speck
• hint
• splash
• glimmer
• shred
• bit
• touch
• little
• trace
• lick
• ray
• spark
• tad

Examples of particle in a Sentence

There is not a particle of evidence to support their claim.

There is not a particle of truth in what he said.

The phrasal verb “look up” consists of the verb “look” and the adverbial particle “up.”

Recent Examples on the Web

The photon and the gluons of the Standard Model are massless, whereas the massive Standard Model particles range from the electron, at about half-an-MeV, to the top quark, at 173 GeV. —Big Think, 28 Oct. 2025

Charged particles originating from the corona surge into the gap but are soon snared by two great magnetic loops—the Van Allen Radiation Belts—that usually keep them from Earth’s surface. —Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025

It’s estimated that 40–60% of the particles in these aerosols can ascend above the level of the toilet seat during flushing. —Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 27 Oct. 2025

Its skeleton consists of millions of mineral particles, suspended in a gelatinous matrix, that compact to protect itself from danger. —Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 27 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin particula, from diminutive of part-, pars

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing particle

• alpha particle
• beta particle
• elementary particle
• fundamental particle
• J/psi particle
• particle accelerator
• particle physics
• psi particle
• W particle
• Z particle

Rhymes for particle

• article
• interparticle
• nanoparticle
• quasiparticle

Kids Definition

particle

noun

par·​ti·​cle ˈpärt-i-kəl 

1

: one of the very small parts of matter (as a molecule, atom, or electron)

2

: a very small quantity or piece

3

: the smallest possible portion

Medical Definition

particle

noun

par·​ti·​cle ˈpärt-i-kəl 

1

: one of the minute subdivisions of matter (as an atom or molecule)

also : elementary particle

2

: a minute quantity or fragment