subatomic particle

American  

[suhb-uh-tahm-ik pahr-ti-kuhl] / ˌsʌb əˈtɑm ɪk ˈpɑr tɪ kəl /

noun

• subatomic particles
  plural

1. Physics. any of various basic constituents of matter that are smaller than an atom, such as a proton, electron, or gluon.

---

subatomic particle Scientific  

/ sŭb′ə-tŏm′ĭk /

1. Any of various particles of matter that are smaller than a hydrogen atom. Protons, neutrons, and electrons are subatomic particles, as are all hadrons and leptons.

2. See also composite particle elementary particle

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• subatomic particles
  plural

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

subatomic particle

This means that a single subatomic particle carries the same kinetic energy as a major league pitcher's fast ball and has tens of millions of times more energy than any human-made particle accelerator can achieve.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 23, 2023

The largest scientific project in Antarctica, ICECUBE, attempts to quantify and trace an unfathomably small subatomic particle — the neutrino.

From Salon ● May 29, 2023

Through what’s called beta-minus decay, a neutron will transform into a proton, spitting out an electron and another subatomic particle called a neutrino in the process.

From Scientific American ● Jan. 9, 2023

Take the muon, a subatomic particle that became briefly famous last year.

From New York Times ● Jun. 13, 2022

Improbably he wondered if the neutron–the subatomic particle that had just been discovered in England by James Chadwick, and was thus both novel and rather fashionable–might be at the heart of things.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---