strong force

noun

|Updated on: 2 Aug 2018

Definition of strong force

: a fundamental physical force that acts on hadrons and is responsible for the binding together of protons and neutrons in the atomic nucleus and for processes of particle creation in high-energy collisions and that is the strongest known fundamental physical force but acts only over distances comparable to those between nucleons in an atomic nucleus — called also strong interaction, strong nuclear force; compare electromagnetism 2a, gravity 3a(2), weak force

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Recent Examples of strong force from the Web

In the vote, the AfD emerged as the third-strongest force in the German Parliament and the main opposition party.

— katrin bennhold, New York Times, "Merkel, to Survive, Agrees to Border Camps for Migrants," 2 July 2018
In the vote, the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, emerged as the third-strongest force in the German Parliament and the main opposition party.

— katrin bennhold, BostonGlobe.com, "Merkel’s coalition survives, for now," 2 July 2018
Aside from the outrageous number of mosquitos, the Eagles’ supporters were undoubtedly the strongest force in Stalingrad.

— SI.com, "90Min World Cup Fan Diaries: The Battle of Volgograd," 21 June 2018
The telescope, though, was soon to meet with unusually strong forces of nature.

— sarah scoles, WIRED, "Puerto Rico's Observatory Is Still Recovering From Hurricane Maria," 15 June 2018
When a window-sized hole opens in an airplane, there is a strong force that sucks air out, experts say.

— martin finucane, BostonGlobe.com, "It’s extremely rare to get sucked out of an airplane window. But here’s how it would work," 17 May 2018
More than many of my other pieces, this has a lot of power, being pulled in strong forces of rhythm and whirlwind, which is unique to this piece.

— joshua barone, New York Times, "The New York Philharmonic Channels the Chaos of the Cosmos," 4 Apr. 2018
Venezuelan elections are overseen by its military, the strongest force in the country and one increasingly intertwined with Maduro’s regime.

— fabiola zerpa, Bloomberg.com, "Venezuelan Soldiers Desert in Droves With Presidential Election Ahead," 7 May 2018
But in microgravity, things change. Light becomes a stronger force.

— randy rieland, Smithsonian, "If Humans Want To Colonize Other Planets, We Need To Perfect Space Cuisine," 28 Mar. 2018

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