mass defect

Save This Word!

noun Physics.

the amount by which the mass of an atomic nucleus differs from the sum of the masses of its constituent particles, being the mass equivalent of the energy released in the formation of the nucleus.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Compare binding energy.

Origin of mass defect

First recorded in 1925–30

Words nearby mass defect

Massaua, Massawa, Mass book, Mass card, masscult, mass defect, massé, massed practice, Massena, mass-energy, mass-energy equation

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mass defect in a sentence

Their bodies were later found incinerated and buried in mass graves outside of town.
Why Mexicans Are Enraged by Obama’s Big Tuesday Meeting|Ruben Navarrette Jr.|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Beyond the huge American flag that hung over the street, the mile-long mass of cops ended.
Funeral Protest Is Too Much for NYPD Union Boss|Michael Daly|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“The United States had gone to war declaring it must destroy an active weapons of mass destruction program,” the Times reported.
Political Memes That Absolutely Must Die in 2015|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Google itself has taken a break and put plans for mass production on hold.
You Were Wrong About Miley & Bitcoin: 2014’s Failed Predictions|Nina Strochlic|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST

A colleague overheard two conservative Mass. lawmakers talking about what “the gays” could do.
The Real Story Behind the Fight for Marriage Equality|E.J. Graff|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Charred beams and blackened walls showed stark and gaunt in the glow of a smoldering mass of wreckage.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
But hitherto, before these new ideas began to spread in our community, the mass of men and women definitely settled down.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
The Turks were no longer in mass but extended in several lines, less than a pace between each man.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
Thus among the huge mass of accumulated commodities the simplest wants would go unsatisfied.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
Edward Winslow died; one of the first settlers of Plymouth colony, Mass., and afterwards its governor.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell

British Dictionary definitions for mass defect

mass defect

noun

physics the amount by which the mass of a particular nucleus is less than the total mass of its constituent particlesSee also binding energy

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