surface tension

noun

: the attractive force exerted upon the surface molecules of a liquid by the molecules beneath that tends to draw the surface molecules into the bulk of the liquid and makes the liquid assume the shape having the least surface area

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

These chemicals—which influence wave activity by decreasing the water's surface tension—often accompany microplastics as a by-product of plastic production and breakdown and are carried on the same ocean currents. —Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 26 Apr. 2023

At tiny scales, the droplets store energy due to inherent surface tension. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 28 Feb. 2023

Water has surface tension, for example, caused by the electrostatic attraction between water molecules. —Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 20 Jan. 2012

The surface tension, though, is rapidly building. —Billy Witz, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2020

At the same time, the flicker compresses the droplet, allowing energy to build through surface tension. —Justine Calma, The Verge, 3 Mar. 2023

Before they’re flung, the droplets compress, storing up energy in surface tension. —Jack Tamisiea, Scientific American, 28 Feb. 2023

Mondrian appealed to Americans in part because his aesthetic dovetailed with the Dutch Pennsylvania and Shaker traditions of surface tension and simplicity, and with Frank Lloyd Wright, whose architecture transposed the hubris of verticality into the harmoniousness of horizontality. —Washington Post, 12 May 2021

One, detergents work by decreasing surface tension, allowing dirty particles—and microfibers—trapped in woven loops to escape. —Matt Simon, Wired, 22 June 2020

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Word History

First Known Use

1876, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

surface tension

noun

: the attractive force felt by surface molecules of a liquid from the molecules beneath that tends to draw the surface molecules into the mass of the liquid and makes the liquid take the shape having the least surface area

Medical Definition

surface tension

noun

: the attractive force exerted upon the surface molecules of a liquid by the molecules beneath that tends to draw the surface molecules into the bulk of the liquid and makes the liquid assume the shape having the least surface area