rare earth

noun

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

Donica said the gypstacks contain rare earth minerals that could be extracted one day with the proper technology, a proposal that university researchers in the state are actively working on. — Ryan Ballogg, Miami Herald, 28 Sep. 2026

China’s dominance of critical minerals and rare earths is a major vulnerability for both Washington and Tokyo. — David Sacks, Foreign Affairs, 28 Sep. 2026

The official readouts otherwise did not make much headway on major issues, beyond agreeing to keep talking and extending a trade truce — which keeps tariffs lower and rare earths flowing — for another two months. — Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2026

Securing rare earth supply requires more than mining the ore. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 27 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1875, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for rare earth

• afterbirth
• berth
• birth
• dearth
• firth
• girth
• mirth
• worth
• childbirth
• rebirth
• stillbirth
• tamworth

Medical Definition

rare earth

noun

ˌrer-ˈərth 

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