nuclear energy

[ noo-klee-er en-er-jee, nyoo- ]
See synonyms for nuclear energy on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. energy released by reactions within atomic nuclei, as in nuclear fission or fusion.

Origin of nuclear energy

1
First recorded in 1925–30
  • Also called a·tom·ic en·er·gy [uh-tom-ik en-er-jee] /əˈtɒm ɪk ˈɛn ər dʒi/ .

pronunciation note For nuclear energy

See nuclear.

Words Nearby nuclear energy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use nuclear energy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for nuclear energy

nuclear energy

noun
  1. energy released during a nuclear reaction as a result of fission or fusion: Also called: atomic 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

Scientific definitions for nuclear energy

nuclear energy

  1. The energy released by the nucleus of an atom as the result of nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, or radioactive decay. The amount of energy released by the nuclear fission of a given mass of uranium is about 2,500,000 times greater than that released by the combustion of an equal mass of carbon. And the amount of energy released by the nuclear fusion of a given mass of deuterium is about 400 times greater that that released by the nuclear fission of an equal mass of uranium. Also called atomic energy

  2. Electricity generated by a nuclear reactor.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for nuclear energy

nuclear energy

Energy obtained from nuclear reactions.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.