diffract
verb
dif·fract
| \ di-ˈfrakt
\
\
diffracted;
diffracting;
diffracts
Definition of diffract
: to cause to undergo diffraction
Examples of diffract in a Sentence
Light is diffracted when it passes through a prism.
Recent Examples on the Web
All living organisms have what are known as chiral molecules, which can reflect, refract, or diffract light. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Alien Plant Hunter Taking First Steps on Earth. Next Stop: Jupiter," 22 Aug. 2019 According to astronomy magazine Sky & Telescope, that is because stars are so distant that their light is easily diffracted (spread out, essentially), but planets are much closer to Earth and therefore appear as disks. — Kaitlyn Bancroft, The Know, "See Jupiter with your naked eye tonight during its “biggest and brightest” month," 10 June 2019 In his field, a standard way to deduce structure is to diffract X-rays off things. — Quanta Magazine, "A Chemist Shines Light on a Surprising Prime Number Pattern," 14 May 2018 The drop is an illusion created by light waves diffracting—bending, essentially—around the edges of your fingers. — Andrew Crumey, WSJ, "‘Through Two Doors at Once’ Review: Interfering With Reality," 3 Aug. 2018 The structure resembles that of tightly packed silica spheres in opal, which diffract light and produce the gemstone’s coveted color. — Kai Kupferschmidt, Science | AAAS, "Scientists uncover the secret behind shimmering seaweed," 13 Apr. 2018 The problem with freezing biological samples is that ice crystals diffract the electron beam, blurring the image. — Erik Stokstad, Science | AAAS, "A cold, clear view of life wins chemistry Nobel," 4 Oct. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'diffract.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for diffract
diffract
verb
English Language Learners Definition of diffract
technical
: to cause (a beam of light) to bend or spread
See the full definition for diffract in the English Language Learners Dictionary
diffract
transitive verb
dif·fract
| \ dif-ˈrakt
\
\
Medical Definition of diffract
: to cause to undergo diffraction