carbide

American  

[kahr-bahyd, -bid] / ˈkɑr baɪd, -bɪd /

noun

1. a compound of carbon with a more electropositive element or group.

2. calcium carbide.

3. a very hard mixture of sintered carbides of various heavy metals, especially tungsten carbide, used for cutting edges and dies.

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carbide British  

/ ˈkɑːbaɪd /

noun

1. a binary compound of carbon with a more electropositive element See also acetylide

2. See calcium carbide

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carbide Scientific  

/ kär′bīd′ /

1. A chemical compound consisting of carbon and a more electropositive element, such as calcium or tungsten. Many carbides, especially those made of carbon and a metal, are very hard and are used to make cutting tools and abrasives.

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Etymology

Origin of carbide

First recorded in 1860–65; carb- + -ide ( def. )

Example Sentences

The roughly $600 million investment will be made with Element Six, a synthetic diamond and tungsten carbide supermaterials company that is a subsidiary of De Beers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 17, 2026

According to Sinhara Perera, a chemical engineering PhD student in Porosoff's lab, one of the main challenges lies in how tungsten carbide atoms arrange themselves.

From Science Daily • Jan. 24, 2026

Tungsten carbide was not only far less expensive than platinum catalysts, but it was also more than 10 times as efficient in hydrocracking plastic waste.

From Science Daily • Jan. 24, 2026

To address this problem, the research team designed a method to precisely control the structure of tungsten carbide during active reactions.

From Science Daily • Jan. 24, 2026

I was given my own carbide light, my own pickax, and my own place to work.

From "Prisoner B-3087" by Alan Gratz