barium
noun
bar·i·um
| \ ˈber-ē-əm
\
\
Definition of barium
1
: a silver-white metallic element of the alkaline earth metal group with atomic number 56 that is used especially in drilling fluid, as a getter in vacuum tubes, and as a contrast agent in medical imaging — see Chemical Elements Table
2
: barium sulfate
Examples of barium in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Russian meteorological agency identified them as isotopes of strontium, two types of barium and lanthanum, but asserted that radiation levels are now normal in cities near the accident, which occurred on Aug. 8 in the country’s north. — Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, "Russia Identifies 4 Radioactive Isotopes From Nuclear Accident," 26 Aug. 2019 Various forms of barium are used as a stabilizing additive to fracking fluids, and companies including the oil field services firm Halliburton testified that using alternative products would decrease drilling productivity. — Lydia Depillis, ProPublica, "Bibles but Not Textbooks: Trump’s Tariff Exemptions Pick Winners and Losers," 22 Aug. 2019 Barium accumulation in the two sets of teeth showed steady patterns of accumulating barium after three months of age, which indicated that the behavior lasted for about a year. — Ashley Strickland, CNN, "Early humans breastfed their young for a year, study says," 15 July 2019 From black powder to barium, music to mortars, pyrotechnics pro Jim Souza, whose company puts on the Macy's 4th of July Show in New York, explains the year-long process behind putting on a major performance. — Boone Ashworth, WIRED, "Can't Set Off Fireworks? Try These Science-Backed Alternatives," 4 July 2019 From black powder to barium, music to mortars, pyrotechnics pro Jim Souza, whose company puts on the Macy's 4th of July Show in New York, explains the year-long process behind putting on a major performance. — Boone Ashworth, WIRED, "Can't Set Off Fireworks? Try These Science-Backed Alternatives," 4 July 2019 This makes elements such as strontium, barium and lead. — Quanta Magazine, "A New Blast May Have Forged Cosmic Gold," 23 Mar. 2017 That year, Orenstein and his colleagues at Bell Labs studied a cuprate called yttrium barium copper oxide and found that, like Bednorz and Müller’s sample, its electrical resistance dropped linearly as it was cooled toward its critical temperature. — Quanta Magazine, "Universal Quantum Phenomenon Found in Strange Metals," 19 Nov. 2018 Payre 336's tooth enamel didn't show any clear patterns of barium levels. — Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, "Neanderthal teeth reveal lead exposure and difficult winters," 31 Oct. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'barium.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for barium
barium
noun
English Language Learners Definition of barium
: a chemical element that is a soft silver-white metal
See the full definition for barium in the English Language Learners Dictionary
barium
noun
bar·i·um
| \ ˈbar-ē-əm, ˈber-
\
\
Medical Definition of barium
1
: a silver-white malleable toxic bivalent metallic element of the alkaline-earth group that occurs only in combination
—symbol Ba
— see Chemical Elements Table
2
: barium sulfate
Keep scrolling for more