rare earth

noun

Definition of rare earth

1 : any of a group of similar oxides of metals or a mixture of such oxides occurring together in widely distributed but relatively scarce minerals

2 : rare earth element

Examples of rare earth in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Tesla has also been using rare Earth-free AC-induction MGUs in the Model S and Model X EVs, but that company has switched to a brushless design for the Model 3. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, "BMW has a new all-electric model coming in 2020—the iX3," 25 Apr. 2018 The list of Chinese products targeted with U.S. tariffs include vaping devices, rare earth metals and LED light bulbs. — Grace Dobush, Fortune, "Here's What Will Happen When China and U.S. Tariffs Take Effect Friday," 4 July 2018 Chinese firms are interested in mining zinc, uranium and rare earths in Greenland. — The Economist, "China wants to be a polar power," 12 Apr. 2018 The country sits on an estimated $6 trillion worth of mineral reserves, including iron, gold, zinc, graphite and a host of rare earth materials needed in the production of smartphones and other high tech products. — James Griffiths, CNN, "After nukes and summits, can Kim Jong Un reform North Korea's economy?," 8 June 2018 The blobs are not rocks, but naturally-occurring metallic nodules that could one day yield metal deposits of cobalt, manganese, and nickel—not to mention scarce rare earth minerals. — Eric Niiler, WIRED, "The Race to Send Robots to Mine the Ocean Floor," 4 June 2018 China may respond by selling U.S. Treasuries, currency devaluation, or seeking a rare earth ban. — Felice Maranz, Bloomberg.com, "Wall Street Analysts Can't Agree If the Trade War Threat Is Real," 6 Apr. 2018 The impacts of extracting crystals are admittedly low compared to those of industrial gold, copper, granite, or rare earth mining. — Emily Atkin, The New Republic, "Do You Know Where Your Healing Crystals Come From?," 11 May 2018 His PhD thesis, completed there in 1969, used optical spectroscopy to determine splits in the energy levels of rare earth ions in garnets under the influence of the electromagnetic fields of the crystals. — Martin Weil, BostonGlobe.com, "Peter Gruenberg; won Nobel for work that led to quicker computers," 12 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rare earth.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.