quark
noun
\ ˈkwȯrk
, ˈkwärk
\
, ˈkwärk
\
Definition of quark
: any of several elementary particles that are postulated to come in pairs (as in the up and down varieties) of similar mass with one member having a charge of +²/₃ and the other a charge of −¹/₃ and are held to make up hadrons
Examples of quark in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Each proton and neutron is made up of even tinier quarks and gluons. — Nandita Jayaraj, Quartz India, "Meet Indumathi, the Indian scientist who wants to capture one of the universe’s smallest particles," 27 Aug. 2019 As far back as the late 1960s, physicists had tried to explain the existence of fundamental particles — electrons, photons, quarks — in terms of minuscule vibrating strings. — Quanta Magazine, "Mathematicians Explore Mirror Link Between Two Geometric Worlds," 9 Apr. 2018 In ordinary matter, quarks come in two types, up and down. — Adrian Cho, Science | AAAS, "Exotic particles called pentaquarks may be less weird than previously thought," 5 June 2019 Even more exciting, the bright gamma-ray glow fit quite well to dark matter being annihilated into a pair of matter/antimatter quarks. — Chris Lee, Ars Technica, "Gamma ray evidence for dark matter outshone by a flock of pulsars," 10 Aug. 2018 Pentaquarks are heavier cousins of protons and neutrons, which are also made of quarks. — Adrian Cho, Science | AAAS, "Exotic particles called pentaquarks may be less weird than previously thought," 5 June 2019 Quark-gluon plasma: A state in which protons and neutrons dissolve into their constituent quarks, which can move freely among particles called gluons that carry the strong force. — Adam Mann, National Geographic, "Confirmed: New phase of matter is solid and liquid at the same time," 8 Apr. 2019 An axion is a hypothetical particle that was invented 41 years ago to solve a problem in the theory of the strong nuclear force, which binds particles called quarks to make protons and neutrons. — Adrian Cho, Science | AAAS, "Search for superlight dark matter particles heats up," 9 Apr. 2018 Physicists have found hundreds of particles made of quarks over the years. — Sylvia Morrow, Discover Magazine, "A Charming New Particle," 24 Jan. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'quark.' 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 quark
quark
noun
English Language Learners Definition of quark
physics
: any one of several types of very small particles that make up matter
See the full definition for quark in the English Language Learners Dictionary