superconductor

noun

su·​per·​con·​duc·​tor ˌsü-pər-kən-ˈdək-tər How to pronounce superconductor (audio)
plural superconductors
: a substance that exhibits no electrical resistance : a substance exhibiting superconductivity
Add a layer of aluminum oxide to a crystal made of neatly stacked soccer-ball shaped carbon molecules known as buckyballs, and the result is a superconductor that effortlessly carries electricity at relatively warm temperatures.Kenneth Chang

Examples of superconductor in a Sentence

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To observe the quantum mechanical motion of this macroscopic phase variable, the three scientists fabricated a device called the Josephson junction, which consists of two pieces of superconductors separated by an insulator layer thinner than 1/10,000 of a human hair. Zhixin Wang, The Conversation, 10 Oct. 2025 Josephson’s work enabled physicists to predict how properties like current and voltage would be induced across the space between two superconductors, and Clarke’s work built upon that idea. Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 8 Oct. 2025 The Nobel winners carried out experiments in the mid-1980s with an electronic circuit built of superconductors and demonstrated that quantum mechanics could also influence everyday objects under certain conditions. USA Today, 7 Oct. 2025 Over the next few years, groups at IBM and Bell Labs attempted to spot macroscopic tunnelling in devices called Josephson junctions, which are circuits made from two superconductors separated by a thin insulating barrier. Dan Garisto, Scientific American, 7 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for superconductor

Word History

First Known Use

1913, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of superconductor was in 1913

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Cite this Entry

“Superconductor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/superconductor. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.

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