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 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

The pact will also help the EU secure supplies of critical raw materials including lithium and tungsten. —ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026

Her small manufacturing facility in Powhatan, Virginia, relies on carbide tools made of tungsten to make precise cuts. —David Goldman, CNN Money, 21 Mar. 2026

In 1980 Simon publicly bet Ehrlich that prices of five important industrial raw materials – copper, nickel, tungsten, chromium and tin – would fall rather than rise over the next decade. —The Conversation, 16 Mar. 2026

But other spacecraft-making materials such as stainless steel, beryllium, titanium, tungsten, and silicon carbide are less likely to do so. —Leonard David, Space.com, 13 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Swedish, from tung heavy + sten stone

First Known Use

1796, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

tungsten

noun

tung·​sten ˈtəŋ-stən 

: a gray-white heavy hard metallic element that has many characteristics similar to chromium and molybdenum and is used especially for electrical purposes and to harden metal alloys (as steel) see element

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 Table