polonium
noun
po·lo·ni·um
pə-ˈlō-nē-əm 
: a radioactive metallic element that has similar chemical properties to tellurium and bismuth, is produced mainly from the radioactive decay of neutron-irradiated bismuth, and emits an alpha particle to form an isotope of lead see Chemical Elements Table
Examples of polonium in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In the first decade of this century, when Russian spy agencies carried out assassinations abroad, those attacks had an obvious Russian state signature, as when the attackers used polonium, or the military-grade nerve agent Novichok.
—
Andrei Soldatov, Foreign Affairs, 20 Mar. 2025
The charges allege that Pang at one point expected to be paid millions of dollars for his efforts, which would include helping the Iranians smuggle weapons and polonium, a radioactive metal that can be used to covertly poison humans, into the U.S.
—Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2025
New Village Arts explores the private life of famed scientist Marie Curie in new play
The first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the discoverer of radium and polonium, Marie Curie is one of scientific history’s pioneers.
—Ut Community Press, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Jan. 2025
Putin also is widely believed to kill off opponents, from the spy Alexander Litvinenko (poisoned with polonium in Britain) to journalistAnna Politkovskaya (killed in an elevator) to opposition leader Alexei Navalny (dead last year in a gulag).
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for polonium
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Andrei Soldatov, Foreign Affairs, 20 Mar. 2025
The charges allege that Pang at one point expected to be paid millions of dollars for his efforts, which would include helping the Iranians smuggle weapons and polonium, a radioactive metal that can be used to covertly poison humans, into the U.S.
—Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2025
New Village Arts explores the private life of famed scientist Marie Curie in new play
The first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the discoverer of radium and polonium, Marie Curie is one of scientific history’s pioneers.
—Ut Community Press, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Jan. 2025
Putin also is widely believed to kill off opponents, from the spy Alexander Litvinenko (poisoned with polonium in Britain) to journalistAnna Politkovskaya (killed in an elevator) to opposition leader Alexei Navalny (dead last year in a gulag).
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for polonium
Cite this Entry
“Polonium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/polonium. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
polonium
noun
po·lo·ni·um
pə-ˈlō-nē-əm
: a radioactive metallic element that is found in pitchblende and decays to form lead see element
Medical Definition
polonium
noun
po·lo·ni·um
pə-ˈlō-nē-əm
: a radioactive metallic element that is similar chemically to tellurium and bismuth, occurs especially in pitchblende and radium-lead residues, and emits an alpha particle to form an isotope of lead
—symbol Po
see Chemical Elements Table
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share