Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

fundamental unit

British  

noun

  1. one of a set of unrelated units that form the basis of a system of units. For example, the metre, kilogram, and second are fundamental units of the SI system

"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

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:

He makes the case that, while human brains are marvels of complexity, their fundamental unit, the neuron, isn’t so different from that of sea slugs.

From The Wall Street Journal Nov. 13, 2025

Underlying these conceptual frameworks is the recognition that the fundamental unit of the theater isn’t the performer alone but the performer in physical proximity to an audience.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 13, 2020

Councils are Britain’s fundamental unit of local government, dealing with an array of basic needs: trash collection, public transport, libraries, town planning, and care for children and other vulnerable people, among other things.

From New York Times Aug. 17, 2018

The offensive line, full of four Division I-caliber returners, is the most fundamental unit you’ll find in Montgomery County.

From Washington Post Sep. 7, 2017

Two centuries later, his "cells" turned out to be the fundamental unit of all life.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training