proton
noun
pro·ton
| \ ˈprō-ˌtän
\
\
Definition of proton
: an elementary particle that is identical with the nucleus of the hydrogen atom, that along with the neutron is a constituent of all other atomic nuclei, that carries a positive charge numerically equal to the charge of an electron, and that has a mass of 1.673 × 10−27 kilogram
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Other Words from proton
protonic
\ prō-ˈtä-nik
\
adjective
\
adjective
Examples of proton in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The number of protons defines the element to which an atom belongs, but the number of neutrons may vary, the variants being known as isotopes. — The Economist, "Who did the Maya sacrifice?," 1 Aug. 2019 This is one of the most amazing little machines that bacteria have, for generating energy by pumping protons across membranes. — Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, "What If Life Did Not Originate on Earth?," 8 July 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 Starting in the 1990s, physicists developed high-precision experiments to study how neutrons — particles found in the nuclei of atoms — break down into protons, a process related to radioactivity. — NBC News, "Scientists are searching for a mirror universe. It could be sitting right in front of you.," 30 June 2019 Each element of the periodic table is a particular kind of atom, ordered by the number of protons in its nucleus. — Andrew Crumey, WSJ, "‘Mendeleyev’s Dream’ and ‘Elemental’ Review: Cracking the Chemical Code," 21 June 2019 In 2015, LHCb researchers reported a pentaquark with a mass of 4450 megaelectron volts (MeV), 4.74 times the mass of the proton. — Adrian Cho, Science | AAAS, "Exotic particles called pentaquarks may be less weird than previously thought," 5 June 2019 The effect that gravitational waves have on Earth is thousands of times smaller than the width of a proton, one of the particles that makes up an atom's nucleus. — Michael Greshko, National Geographic, "What are gravitational waves?," 26 Mar. 2019 Thus, the collective behavior required to generate an apparent frictionless flow is not as strong in the experiments with helium-3 compared to experiments with a single proton. — Chris Lee, Ars Technica, "Quark-gluon plasma reveals viscosity-free properties," 19 Dec. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'proton.' 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 proton
proton
noun
English Language Learners Definition of proton
physics
: a very small particle of matter that is part of the nucleus of an atom and that has a positive electrical charge
See the full definition for proton in the English Language Learners Dictionary
proton
noun
pro·ton
| \ ˈprō-ˌtän
\
\
Kids Definition of proton
: a very small particle that exists in the nucleus of every atom and has a positive charge of electricity
proton
noun
pro·ton
| \ ˈprō-ˌtän
\
\
Medical Definition of proton
: an elementary particle that is identical with the nucleus of the hydrogen atom, that along with neutrons is a constituent of all other atomic nuclei, that carries a positive charge numerically equal to the charge of an electron, and that has a mass of 1.673×10−24 gram
Other Words from proton
protonic
\ prō-ˈtän-ik
\
adjective
\
adjective
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