helium
noun
he·li·um
| \ ˈhē-lē-əm
, ˈhēl-yəm\
, ˈhēl-yəm\
Definition of helium
: a light colorless inert gaseous element found especially in natural gases and used chiefly for inflating airships and balloons, in lamps, in cryogenic research, and as a component of inert atmospheres (as in welding) — see Chemical Elements Table
Examples of helium in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But don’t be alarmed: This plasma consisted of less than a milligram of helium ions. — Sophia Chen, WIRED, "Physicists Made a Blazing Hot Plasma Doughnut to Study Solar Wind," 29 July 2019 Noseda has a particular way with Beethoven: fresh and helium-light and so fleet that the strings almost floated offstage in the headlong blink-and-you’ll-miss-it passagework of the trio section of the third-movement scherzo. — Anne Midgette, Washington Post, "How the NSO and Noseda brought fresh air to the summer heat at Wolf Trap," 28 July 2019 The system used helium as a pressurizing gas, inhibited nitrogen tetroxide for an oxidizer, and a blended hydrazine fuel made up of a mixture of around 50 percent unsymmetrical dimethyl hydrazine and 50 percent anhydrous hydrazine. — Alex Hollings, Popular Mechanics, "The Art of the Return Trip: How NASA Got Apollo 11 Home," 24 July 2019 Media reports said the launch was aborted after ISRO scientists identified a leak while filling helium in the rocket's cryogenic engine. — NBC News, "India launches unmanned moon mission a week after it was aborted," 22 July 2019 Balloons, especially helium balloons purchased to release into the air. — Denise Coffey, courant.com, "Tips To Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, And Refuse," 15 July 2019 That day, the Winns each had four tanks containing a mixture of nitrogen, oxygen and helium. — William Langhorne, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Report details Lake Michigan diving accident in which Illinois couple died," 6 July 2019 The Guardian reported Wednesday that the permit allows the baby blimp to be filled only with air, not helium. — Christina Prignano, BostonGlobe.com, "What to know about President Trump’s Salute to America," 3 July 2019 To establish a presence on the moon, astronauts will need to look at ways of extracting water, oxygen, and helium—as fuel for human and machine alike. — National Geographic, "Countdown to a new era inSpace," 17 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'helium.' 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 helium
helium
noun
English Language Learners Definition of helium
: a chemical element that is a colorless gas, that is lighter than air, and that is often used to fill balloons
See the full definition for helium in the English Language Learners Dictionary
helium
noun
he·li·um
| \ ˈhē-lē-əm
\
\
Kids Definition of helium
: a very light gaseous chemical element that is found in various natural gases, will not burn, and is used in balloons
helium
noun
he·li·um
| \ ˈhē-lē-əm
\
\
Medical Definition of helium
: a light colorless nonflammable gaseous element found especially in natural gases and used chiefly for inflating airships and balloons, for filling incandescent lamps, and for cryogenic research
—symbol He
— see Chemical Elements Table
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