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kinetics

American  
[ki-net-iks, kahy-] / kɪˈnɛt ɪks, kaɪ- /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

  1. the branch of mechanics that deals with the actions of forces in producing or changing the motion of masses.

kinetics British  
/ kaɪ-, kɪˈnɛtɪks /

noun

  1. another name for dynamics

  2. the branch of mechanics, including both dynamics and kinematics, concerned with the study of bodies in motion

  3. the branch of dynamics that excludes the study of bodies at rest

  4. the branch of chemistry concerned with the rates of chemical reactions

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
kinetics Scientific  
/ kə-nĕt′ĭks /

  1. See dynamics

Etymology

Origin of kinetics

First recorded in 1860–65; see origin at kinetic, -ics

Explanation

In physics, the study of motion is called kinetics. An astronomer investigating kinetics might be interested in the precise way the planets move. Physical kinetics is also known as dynamics, and its primary concern is the way bodies move when forces (such as gravity) are acting on them. In chemistry and biochemistry, kinetics is all about reaction rates. A chemist focused on kinetics studies the rate of various chemical reactions under varying conditions. The term kinetics stems from the Greek kinetikos, "putting in motion."

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Dr. Mehdi Boroujerdi, a pharmaceutical researcher and former professor, has conducted an in depth review of creatine in the Handbook of Creatine and Creatinine In Vivo Kinetics.

From Science Daily • May 4, 2026

But inside the walls of Kaizen Martial Arts & Fitness, in a program known as Kaizen Kinetics, they are heavyweight champs.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2025

"Ruben was one of the best students and for that reason he had a one-week internship at Manchester United," says Antonio Veloso - professor at the Faculty of Human Kinetics at the University of Lisbon.

From BBC • Nov. 2, 2024

His Alien Kinetics company unveiled DriBlades and accompanying weighted slide Monday following development and testing involving a handful of NHL players who work with Riou.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 11, 2022

Kinetics, the science of the action of forces causing motion; both this law and the two preceding are derived from a Greek word signifying "to move."

From The Nuttall Encyclopædia Being a Concise and Comprehensive Dictionary of General Knowledge by Nuttall, P. Austin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.