Dictionary.com

nuclear energy

[ noo-klee-er en-er-jee, nyoo- ]
/ ˈnu kli ər ˈɛn ər dʒi, ˈnyu- /
See synonyms for nuclear energy on Thesaurus.com

noun

energy released by reactions within atomic nuclei, as in nuclear fission or fusion.

QUIZZES

DISCOVER THE INFLUENCE OF PORTUGUESE ON ENGLISH VIA THIS QUIZ!

We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?
Question 1 of 11
Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?
owl
crow
piranha
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT
Also called a·tom·ic en·er·gy [uh-tom-ik en-er-jee] /əˈtɒm ɪk ˈɛn ər dʒi/ .

Origin of nuclear energy

First recorded in 1925–30

Words nearby nuclear energy

nuclear, nuclear bomb, nuclear cataract, nuclear chemistry, nuclear emulsion, nuclear energy, nuclear envelope, nuclear family, nuclear fission, nuclear-free zone, nuclear fuel
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to nuclear energy

atomic energy, nuclear power, atomic power

British Dictionary definitions for nuclear energy

nuclear energy

noun

energy released during a nuclear reaction as a result of fission or fusionAlso 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

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
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.