elementary particle

noun

: any of the particles of which matter and energy are composed or which mediate the fundamental forces of nature

especially : one whose existence has not been attributed to the combination of other more fundamental entities

Examples of elementary particle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Boson croutons Instead of hunting for quark pairs, Lee and colleagues looked for quarks travelling in unison with a neutral elementary particle called a Z-boson, which has little effect on its surroundings. —Robert Lea, Space.com, 30 Jan. 2026

Any statistical deviations from the predictions of the Standard Model could signify the involvement of unknown elementary particles. —Quanta Magazine, 26 Jan. 2026

In fact, the researchers find, a warm period of inflation that began to populate the universe with matter could have naturally arisen from interactions within physics’ Standard Model, the theory that describes the fundamental forces and elementary particles in the universe. —Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 27 Oct. 2025

The Standard Model of elementary particles describes the electromagnetic, strong nuclear, and weak nuclear forces precisely and without fail, while general relativity describes gravitation for all forms of matter and energy. —Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 9 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1934, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for elementary particle

• article
• interparticle
• nanoparticle
• quasiparticle

Kids Definition

elementary particle

noun

: any of the particles (as electrons or photons) of matter and energy that are smaller than atoms and do not appear to be made up of a combination of more basic things

Medical Definition

elementary particle

noun

1

: any of the particles of which matter and energy are composed or which mediate the fundamental forces of nature

especially : one (as the photon or the electron) whose existence has not been attributed to the combination of other more fundamental entities

2

: one of the structural units of mitochondrial cristae that are observable by the electron microscope usually as spheres or stalked spheres and are probably the seat of fundamental energy-producing reactions