exciton

American

[ik-sahy-ton, ek-si-ton] / ɪkˈsaɪ tɒn, ˈɛk sɪˌtɒn /

noun

Physics.

a localized, mobile excited state of a crystal, consisting of an electron and a hole bound together.

exciton British

/ ˈɛksaɪˌtɒn /

noun

a mobile neutral entity in a crystalline solid consisting of an excited electron bound to the hole produced by its excitation

"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

Etymology

Origin of exciton

1935–40; excit(ed) or excit(ation) + -on ¹

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.

When light strikes many carbon based materials, it creates a tightly bound packet of energy called an exciton -- a paired electron and hole.

From Science Daily • Mar. 6, 2026

"Observing an insulating phase that melts into a superfluid is unprecedented. This strongly suggests that the low-temperature phase is a highly unusual exciton solid."

From Science Daily • Feb. 5, 2026

When these charges meet, they release light and form a particle called an exciton before settling into a stable electrical state.

From Science Daily • Jan. 15, 2026

Jauregui explained that this sudden change indicated the system had shifted into the exotic exciton state.

From Science Daily • Dec. 2, 2025

"This acceptor-bound exciton structure yielded two triplets separated by a spin-orbit splitting of 14.3 meV, supporting the hypothesis."

From Science Daily • Feb. 27, 2024

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