reactor

noun

re·​ac·​tor rē-ˈak-tər 

1

: one that reacts

2

: a device (such as a coil, winding, or conductor of small resistance) used to introduce reactance into an alternating-current circuit

3

a

: a vat for an industrial chemical reaction

b

: a device for the controlled release of nuclear energy (as for producing heat)

Examples of reactor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

High temperature and high density plasmas, in which reactions can occur for long durations, are vital for the future of nuclear fusion reactors, said Si-Woo Yoon, director of the KSTAR Research Center at the Korean Institute of Fusion Energy (KFE), which achieved the new record. —Laura Paddison, CNN, 1 Apr. 2024

Even if the reactors were magically replaced by the wind and solar power environmentalists favor, ... —Andrew Follett, National Review, 10 Mar. 2024

Nuclear power currently makes up only 19% of the nation’s overall energy generation, with 93 commercial reactors operating today, down from a peak of 112 in 1990. —Emily Pandise, NBC News, 7 Mar. 2024

Uranium has been used as an energy source for more than six decades, fueling nuclear power plants and reactors. —Jacob Lorinc, Fortune, 3 Mar. 2024

Water from the dam’s reservoir had been used to cool the reactors, which now could overheat and melt down if turned on. —Richard Engel, NBC News, 22 Feb. 2024

California startup Kairos Power received a construction permit from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to build its Hermes demonstration reactor in Tennessee. —Will Wade, Fortune, 13 Dec. 2023

Five states have reversed decades-old bans on building reactors. —Brad Plumer, New York Times, 12 Nov. 2023

Nuclear energy is new territory for Kentucky, but some of its neighbors like Illinois and Tennessee have had reactors for decades. —Bruce Schreiner and Dylan Lovan, Quartz, 27 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing reactor

• hyper-reactor
• nuclear reactor
• atomic reactor

Kids Definition

reactor

noun

re·​ac·​tor rē-ˈak-tər 

1

: one that reacts

2

: a device for the controlled release of nuclear energy (as for producing heat)

Medical Definition

reactor

noun

re·​ac·​tor rē-ˈak-tər 

1

: one that reacts: as

a

: a chemical reagent

b

: an individual reacting to a stimulus

c

: an individual reacting positively to a foreign substance (as in a test for disease)

reactors to tuberculin

2

a

: a piece of equipment in which a chemical reaction and especially an industrial chemical reaction is carried out

b

: a device for the controlled release of nuclear energy (as for producing heat)