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free electron

American

noun

Physics.

an electron that is not attached to an atom or molecule and is free to respond to outside forces.

free electron British

noun

any electron that is not attached to an ion, atom, or molecule and is free to move under the influence of an applied electric or magnetic field

"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 free electron

First recorded in 1905–10

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.

See Examples For:

free electron

Once released, the free electron is extremely eager to find somewhere else to go.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026

This kind of accelerator could also be used to drive another device called an X-ray free electron laser, which could take slow-motion movies of processes on the atomic or molecular scale.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 27, 2023

In a free electron laser, a linear accelerator, or linac, shoots a beam of high-energy electrons into a string of complex magnets called undulators.

From Science Magazine ● Sep. 18, 2023

Such a detached proton won’t remain alone forever when attractive electrons are around; it will capture a free electron, becoming a neutral hydrogen once more.

From Textbooks ● Oct. 13, 2016

Charley danced and flicked around the cabin like a free electron with a careless disregard for traffic regulations and public safety.

From Master of the Moondog by Stanley Mullen

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