as in particles
a very small piece
give me just one atom of information about the novel's surprise ending
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Recent Examples of atoms
First, lasers excite atoms into Rydberg states.
—
Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 17 May 2026
The beautiful display of lights results from a form of space weather, according to NASA, when high-energy space particles violently collide with atoms of gas in a planet's atmosphere, close to its magnetic pole.
—Alana Wise, NPR, 16 May 2026
Surfaces are not simple and can exhibit all sorts of weird properties due to missing atoms, crystalline boundaries, and impurities from fabrication techniques.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 15 May 2026
In other words, atoms do interact with light (more technically, electromagnetic radiation).
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 15 May 2026
This is a dynamic layer between about 410 and 660 kilometers depth where the physical properties of minerals see sudden changes as their atoms rearrange under immense pressure.
—James Dinneen, Scientific American, 14 May 2026
In those systems, atoms can leak into non-computational states or be lost entirely, complicating the syndrome patterns that a decoder must interpret.
—Karl Freund, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026
Blue Ghost’s Lunar Sunrise This Raleigh scattering sees blue and violet short-wavelength light strike atoms in Earth's atmosphere and scatter while long-wavelength red and orange light bends onto the lunar surface.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 17 May 2026
The beautiful display of lights results from a form of space weather, according to NASA, when high-energy space particles violently collide with atoms of gas in a planet's atmosphere, close to its magnetic pole.
—Alana Wise, NPR, 16 May 2026
Surfaces are not simple and can exhibit all sorts of weird properties due to missing atoms, crystalline boundaries, and impurities from fabrication techniques.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 15 May 2026
In other words, atoms do interact with light (more technically, electromagnetic radiation).
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 15 May 2026
This is a dynamic layer between about 410 and 660 kilometers depth where the physical properties of minerals see sudden changes as their atoms rearrange under immense pressure.
—James Dinneen, Scientific American, 14 May 2026
In those systems, atoms can leak into non-computational states or be lost entirely, complicating the syndrome patterns that a decoder must interpret.
—Karl Freund, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026
Blue Ghost’s Lunar Sunrise This Raleigh scattering sees blue and violet short-wavelength light strike atoms in Earth's atmosphere and scatter while long-wavelength red and orange light bends onto the lunar surface.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atoms
Noun
-
As dust floats through the air, static electricity can attract particles of dirt, pollen, pet dander, and dust that accumulate on the fan blades over time.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
14 May 2026
-
Similar to how cosmic impacts can agitate and heat lunar regolith to liberate trapped particles from the solar wind, machines can do much the same.—
Robin George Andrews,
Scientific American,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
From the summit of Monte Gambarogno, the towns hugging the shore of Lake Maggiore appear as tiny specks, dwarfed by the snowcapped southern Alps to the north.—
Lisa Kadane,
Travel + Leisure,
1 May 2026
-
Silvery or mottled patches on leaves, brown or distorted petal edges, dark specks (feces) or flower buds that fail to open are signs of thrips.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
These include the manipulation of certain kinds of small molecules—the backbone of many different types of medicines, from antibiotics to corticosteroids.—
Ramin Skibba,
Scientific American,
15 May 2026
-
Mattias Balk | Picture Alliance | Getty Images Bristol and Hengrui will each contribute assets and will work together on developing new drugs, making China look less like a source of one-off molecules and more like a part of pharma's global research and development operating system, Baran said.—
Angelica Peebles,
CNBC,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
At the core of quantum computing are quantum bits, or qubits, that can store multiple values simultaneously, unlike binary bits that can only be a 0 or a 1.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
15 May 2026
-
The best bits of Body of Work are defined by the ideas that don’t center Skeletrix in the frame, the half-thoughts and thorny passages that breeze past if you aren’t locked in.—
Olivier Lafontant,
Pitchfork,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Our recipe studs egg filling with flecks of green onions, bacon, and a generous helping of Swiss cheese.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
5 May 2026
-
Some bathrooms have been updated with a walk-in shower, while others (including my room) have a shower-tub combo in starlight marble, which has flecks of shiny stone that seem to sparkle, but are slightly uncomfortable to climb into and out of.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Built in 1885, the route once played a key role in transporting coffee and grains from the Curitiba highlands to the coast.—
Taryn White,
Travel + Leisure,
11 May 2026
-
Like all tasting menus, the Journey has its ritual flourishes, some of them twee (such as the servers presenting a basket of farm eggs and an arrangement of grains just before the courses featuring those ingredients) and others quite charming.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
It had been crowded, competitive, fighting his brothers and sisters to nestle at the center, for the last scraps of flesh, for the fallen fruit.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 May 2026
-
Gather up dough scraps, reroll, and punch out more biscuits if needed.—
Claire Saffitz,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
The test does repeated cycles to try to amplify specific snippets of genetic material that may be present.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
11 May 2026
-
Music, both as one character’s defining trait and as a story-telling device — snippets of pop tunes across decades swiftly drive time shifts in the play’s first two acts — is a major aspect.—
Christopher Smith,
Oc Register,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Atoms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atoms. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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