nonmetal
an element not having the character of a metal, as carbon or nitrogen.
an element incapable of forming simple positive ions in solution.
Origin of nonmetal
1Words Nearby nonmetal
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use nonmetal in a sentence
Many metals readily give up their electrons to nonmetal atoms, such as oxygen.
New process can transform urban CO2 pollution into a resource | Alison Pearce Stevens | March 11, 2022 | Science News For StudentsDue to big differences in their metallic character, the nonmetal steals electrons from the metal atom and keeps those electrons.
The metal and nonmetal remain stuck together because they now have opposite charges.
Metal atoms differ from nonmetal ones in how well they steal valence electrons from other atoms.
They might be made of nonmetal elements like sulfur and nitrogen.
British Dictionary definitions for nonmetal
/ (nɒnˈmɛtəl) /
any of a number of chemical elements that form negative ions, have acidic oxides, and are generally poor conductors of heat and electricity
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
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