Illustration of neuron
- 1 cell body
- 2 dendrite
- 3 axon
- 4 nerve ending
: a grayish or reddish granular cell that is the fundamental functional unit of nervous tissue transmitting and receiving nerve impulses and having cytoplasmic processes which are highly differentiated frequently as multiple dendrites or usually as solitary axons which conduct impulses to and away from the cell body : nerve cell sense 1
Examples of neuron in a Sentence
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The heat can also increase oxidative stress and inflammation in the brain, Gallagher added, which can potentially damage neurons, worsen existing neurological conditions and raise stroke risk.
—
Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 27 June 2025
Researchers studying biological tissues, including neurons in petri dishes, can detect this as a weak but continuous stream of light—from a few photons to several hundred photons per square centimeter each second.
—Conor Feehly, Scientific American, 16 June 2025
Tellurium mesh devices were implanted into a narrow space between the photoreceptor layer and the retinal pigment epithelium, a site where the implants could interface with the neurons.
—ArsTechnica, 12 June 2025
When fish suffer retinal damage, the Müller glia cells differentiate into retinal progenitor cells, which generate new neurons and help the fish keep their vision functioning properly.
—Michael Franco, New Atlas, 11 June 2025
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Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 27 June 2025
Researchers studying biological tissues, including neurons in petri dishes, can detect this as a weak but continuous stream of light—from a few photons to several hundred photons per square centimeter each second.
—Conor Feehly, Scientific American, 16 June 2025
Tellurium mesh devices were implanted into a narrow space between the photoreceptor layer and the retinal pigment epithelium, a site where the implants could interface with the neurons.
—ArsTechnica, 12 June 2025
When fish suffer retinal damage, the Müller glia cells differentiate into retinal progenitor cells, which generate new neurons and help the fish keep their vision functioning properly.
—Michael Franco, New Atlas, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for neuron
Cite this Entry
“Neuron.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neuron. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
neuron
noun
neu·ron
ˈn(y)ü-ˌrän 
ˈn(y)u̇(ə)r- ˌän
ˈn(y)u̇(ə)r- ˌän
: a grayish or reddish cell that is the basic working unit of the nervous system and has an axon and dendrites that carry nerve impulses
Medical Definition
neuron
noun
neu·ron
ˈn(y)ü-ˌrän
ˈn(y)u̇(ə)r-ˌän
ˈn(y)u̇(ə)r-ˌän
variants
also neurone
: one of the cells that constitute nervous tissue, that have the property of transmitting and receiving nerve impulses, and that are composed of somewhat reddish or grayish protoplasm with a large nucleus containing a conspicuous nucleolus, irregular cytoplasmic granules, and cytoplasmic processes which are highly differentiated frequently as multiple dendrites or usually as solitary axons and which conduct impulses toward and away from the cell body : nerve cell sense 1
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