yellowcake
noun
yel·low·cake
ˈye-lō-ˌkāk 
ˈye-lə-
: partially refined uranium ore that is often used as an intermediate step in the production of nuclear weapons
Examples of yellowcake in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud, the Saudi Energy Minister, said the kingdom intends to monetize its mineral resources by producing and selling uranium, including enriching it and processing it into yellowcake for use in nuclear fuel, Reuters reported in January.
—
Amira El-Fekki, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025
The monitoring also meant Iran wasn’t able to hide away yellowcake or centrifuges to produce enriched uranium for a covert nuclear-weapons program without the agency knowing about it.
—Laurence Norman, WSJ, 8 June 2022
Known as yellowcake uranium, the powdered material requires an enrichment process to convert it to a weapons-grade.
—Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 16 Mar. 2023
China also has helped Saudi Arabia construct a facility to fabricate uranium yellowcake, an early step along the path to a civil nuclear energy program or a nuclear arms capability, the Journal reported last year.
—Jared Malsin, WSJ, 23 Dec. 2021
December 5, 2010 - Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran’s atomic chief and acting foreign minister, announces that Iran’s nuclear program is self-sufficient and that Iran has begun producing yellowcake, an intermediate stage in processing uranium.
—CNN, 19 Aug. 2021
The administration had forged documents stating that Saddam Hussein was in the process of obtaining yellowcake uranium, and the press had dutifully printed the lie.
—Rebecca Panovka, Harper's Magazine, 20 July 2021
The company will process the ore to extract both yellowcake uranium and a concentrated rare earth carbonite.
—Zak Podmore, The Salt Lake Tribune, 22 Mar. 2021
Chalmers added that yellowcake produced for nuclear power plants helps the effort to combat global warming.
—Zak Podmore, The Salt Lake Tribune, 4 Jan. 2021
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Amira El-Fekki, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025
The monitoring also meant Iran wasn’t able to hide away yellowcake or centrifuges to produce enriched uranium for a covert nuclear-weapons program without the agency knowing about it.
—Laurence Norman, WSJ, 8 June 2022
Known as yellowcake uranium, the powdered material requires an enrichment process to convert it to a weapons-grade.
—Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 16 Mar. 2023
China also has helped Saudi Arabia construct a facility to fabricate uranium yellowcake, an early step along the path to a civil nuclear energy program or a nuclear arms capability, the Journal reported last year.
—Jared Malsin, WSJ, 23 Dec. 2021
December 5, 2010 - Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran’s atomic chief and acting foreign minister, announces that Iran’s nuclear program is self-sufficient and that Iran has begun producing yellowcake, an intermediate stage in processing uranium.
—CNN, 19 Aug. 2021
The administration had forged documents stating that Saddam Hussein was in the process of obtaining yellowcake uranium, and the press had dutifully printed the lie.
—Rebecca Panovka, Harper's Magazine, 20 July 2021
The company will process the ore to extract both yellowcake uranium and a concentrated rare earth carbonite.
—Zak Podmore, The Salt Lake Tribune, 22 Mar. 2021
Chalmers added that yellowcake produced for nuclear power plants helps the effort to combat global warming.
—Zak Podmore, The Salt Lake Tribune, 4 Jan. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Yellowcake.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yellowcake. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.
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