tungsten

noun

tung·sten | \ ˈtəŋ-stən

Definition of tungsten

: a gray-white heavy high-melting ductile hard polyvalent metallic element that resembles chromium and molybdenum in many of its properties and is used especially in carbide materials and electrical components (such as lamp filaments) and in hardening alloys (such as steel) — see Chemical Elements Table

Examples of tungsten in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

One notable example was the discovery of three particularly rare elements found — hafnium, uranium and tungsten. — Fox News, "Shocking Moon discovery: Earth's satellite 100M years older than previously thought, study says," 1 Aug. 2019 But according to The Telegraph, the water is actually filled with hazardous chemical waste that poured out from a closed World War II-era tungsten mine. — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE.com, "Instagram Influencers Sick After Swimming in Turquoise Lake That Is Actually a Toxic Dump," 25 July 2019 For RHIC’s 15th run, which began Feb. 10, scientists have upgraded the PHENIX detector with a new tungsten-silicon hybrid tracking device to help detect radiation from gluons deep inside the colliding particles. — Quanta Magazine, "In LHC’s Shadow, America’s Collider Awakens," 6 Mar. 2015 Now, there’s an in-between option: Porsche Surface Coated Brakes, which use iron rotors coated in a 0.1-mm layer of tungsten carbide. — Ezra Dyer, Popular Mechanics, "The 2019 Popular Mechanics Automotive Excellence Awards," 16 Apr. 2019 The modelers extrapolated from the then-current use of 19 commodities and projected the exhaustion, before 2012, of the supply of 12 — aluminum, copper, gold, lead, mercury, molybdenum, natural gas, oil, silver, tin, tungsten and zinc. — George Will, Twin Cities, "George Will: Scarcities are recyclable excuses for expanding government," 13 June 2019 The modelers extrapolated from the then-current use of 19 commodities and projected the exhaustion, before 2012, of the supply of twelve — aluminum, copper, gold, lead, mercury, molybdenum, natural gas, oil, silver, tin, tungsten, and zinc. — George Will, National Review, "The Scarcity Scam," 13 June 2019 If Jackson is right, his samples will join a growing collection of rocks from around the world whose abnormal tungsten isotope ratios have completely surprised scientists. — Quanta Magazine, "Explorers Find Passage to Earth’s Dark Age," 22 Dec. 2016 Blazé Milano does one with a tungsten hue, ideal for both meetings and extra glam happy hour cocktails. — Vogue, "15 Ways to Rock Metallic Glitz for Day," 15 May 2019

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

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5 Aug 2019

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The first known use of tungsten was in 1796

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More Definitions for tungsten

tungsten

noun

English Language Learners Definition of tungsten

: a hard metal that is used to make the thin wire in light bulbs and to harden other metals (such as steel)

See the full definition for tungsten in the English Language Learners Dictionary

tungsten

noun

tung·sten | \ ˈtəŋ-stən

Kids Definition of tungsten

: a grayish white hard metallic chemical element used especially for electrical parts (as for the fine wire in an electric light bulb) and to make alloys (as steel) harder

tungsten

noun

tung·sten | \ ˈtəŋ-stən

Medical Definition of tungsten

: a gray-white heavy high-melting ductile hard polyvalent metallic element that resembles chromium and molybdenum in many of its properties and is used especially for electrical purposes and in hardening alloys (as steel) —symbol W

— called also wolfram

— see Chemical Elements Table