nuclear physics
Americannoun
noun
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The scientific study of the structure and behavior atomic nuclei.
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See also neutron proton strong force
Pronunciation
See nuclear ( def. ).
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of nuclear physics
First recorded in 1930–35
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.
Born in Bulgaria to Armenian parents who survived the genocide, he immigrated to the U.S. in 1961 and studied at Columbia University, earning advanced degrees in nuclear engineering and nuclear physics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
Pearcey, who has doctorate in nuclear physics, has been a prominent local campaigner.
From BBC ● Jan. 30, 2026
"Did it form by stripping the outside of a star, like 'normal' black widow systems are formed? Probably not, because nuclear physics does not make pure carbon."
From Science Daily ● Jan. 1, 2026
It’s going from social media and crypto into nuclear physics.
From Barron's ● Dec. 19, 2025
Rutherford had drawn a road map for the future of nuclear physics.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
