: 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
In the early 1900s, GE’s William Coolidge helped make the breakthrough of using ductile tungsten as the filament in incandescent light bulbs.
—
Michael Kilian, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
From a device-performance standpoint, monolayer tungsten silicon nitride combines several key advantages, including strong hole mobility and high on-state current density, alongside robust mechanical strength, efficient heat dissipation, and solid chemical stability.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 12 Apr. 2026
Pixels • That pesky little tungsten cube has been on quite a journey since Tess boosted it from Duncan’s office.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 12 Apr. 2026
China started restricting tungsten exports just over a year ago, and in December called for tighter limits on sulfuric acid exports.
—Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tungsten
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Michael Kilian, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
From a device-performance standpoint, monolayer tungsten silicon nitride combines several key advantages, including strong hole mobility and high on-state current density, alongside robust mechanical strength, efficient heat dissipation, and solid chemical stability.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 12 Apr. 2026
Pixels • That pesky little tungsten cube has been on quite a journey since Tess boosted it from Duncan’s office.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 12 Apr. 2026
China started restricting tungsten exports just over a year ago, and in December called for tighter limits on sulfuric acid exports.
—Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tungsten
Cite this Entry
“Tungsten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tungsten. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Etymology
from Swedish tungsten, literally "heavy stone," from tung "heavy" and sten "stone"
Medical Definition
tungsten
noun
tung·sten
ˈtəŋ-stən 
: 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 TableLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
