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nuclei

American

[noo-klee-ahy, nyoo-] / ˈnu kliˌaɪ, ˈnyu- /

noun

plural of nucleus.

nuclei British

/ ˈnjuːklɪˌaɪ /

noun

a plural of nucleus

"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 nuclei

< Latin nucleī, nominative plural of nucleus; see nucleus

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.

Fusion is the process of fusing hydrogen nuclei together, which releases immense amounts of energy.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

In these reactions, atomic nuclei repeatedly absorb neutrons and then undergo radioactive decay until they reach stable forms.

From Science Daily • Apr. 14, 2026

Fusion does the opposite: It combines light atomic nuclei into heavier ones, releasing enormous energy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

The findings suggest that as scientists explore regions of the nuclear landscape farther from stability, particularly among exotic nuclei such as Tennessine, existing models may no longer apply.

From Science Daily • Mar. 13, 2026

The sensitive counter clicks when exposed to gamma rays or to such high-energy charged particles as protons and helium nuclei.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

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