hydrogen
noun
hy·dro·gen
| \ ˈhī-drə-jən
, -dər-\
, -dər-\
Definition of hydrogen
: a nonmetallic gaseous chemical element with atomic number 1 that is the simplest and lightest of the elements and that is used especially in the processing of fossil fuels and the synthesis of ammonia — see Chemical Elements Table — compare deuterium, tritium
Keep scrolling for more
Other Words from hydrogen
hydrogenous
\ hī-ˈdrä-jə-nəs
\
adjective
\
adjective
Examples of hydrogen in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The oxygen atoms form a cubic lattice, but the hydrogen atoms spill free, flowing like a liquid through the rigid cage of oxygens. — Quanta Magazine, "Black, Hot Ice May Be Nature’s Most Common Form of Water," 27 Aug. 2019 The Skai instead uses very light hydrogen fuel cells to run its rotors, giving it a range of 400 miles and the capacity to carry 1,000 pounds in people or freight, the company says. — Christopher Weber, The Denver Post, "Long road to liftoff for hydrogen-power electric flying vehicle," 4 Aug. 2019 Those substances are a challenge to work with and susceptible to boil off in the space environment (hydrogen atoms can even migrate directly through metal fuel tanks). — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "Rocket Report: China discovers grid fins, NASA acknowledges Starship program," 2 Aug. 2019 Not long before that (cosmically speaking), the sun had burst into being, fusing together hydrogen atoms from an immense ball of gas, setting alight a fire that burns to this day. — Brian Resnick, Vox, "How Apollo moon rocks reveal the epic history of the cosmos," 15 July 2019 The sun shines thanks to fusion reactions deep in its core, melding hydrogen atoms into helium and releasing photons in the process. — Stephen Ornes, Discover Magazine, "Our Sun, the Still-mysterious Star That Gives Us Life," 12 June 2019 Inside the sun, hydrogen atoms fuse to produce helium and energy. — Michael Greshko, National Geographic, "Cold fusion remains elusive—but these scientists may revive the quest," 29 May 2019 The hydrogen-burning RL10B-2 second-stage engine then fired up to continue the climb to orbit. — William Harwood, CBS News, "Rocket launches GPS satellite into orbit for U.S. Air Force," 22 Aug. 2019 Fossil-fuel-dependent refineries and hydrogen production were responsible for a third of that, while the rest came from sources such as extraction of oil and gas, cement plants, glass manufacturers and food processors. — J.d. Morris, SFChronicle.com, "Clean energy powers California climate emissions drop," 12 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hydrogen.' 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 hydrogen
hydrogen
noun
English Language Learners Definition of hydrogen
: a chemical element that has no color or smell and that is the simplest, lightest, and most common element
See the full definition for hydrogen in the English Language Learners Dictionary
hydrogen
noun
hy·dro·gen
| \ ˈhī-drə-jən
\
\
Kids Definition of hydrogen
: a colorless, odorless, and tasteless flammable gas that is the lightest of the chemical elements
hydrogen
noun
hy·dro·gen
| \ ˈhī-drə-jən
\
\
Medical Definition of hydrogen
: a nonmetallic element that is the simplest and lightest of the elements and that is normally a colorless odorless highly flammable diatomic gas
—symbol H
— see deuterium, tritium — Chemical Elements Table
Other Words from hydrogen
hydrogenous
\ hī-ˈdräj-ə-nəs
\
adjective
\
adjective
Keep scrolling for more