particle
a minute portion, piece, fragment, or amount; a tiny or very small bit: a particle of dust; not a particle of supporting evidence.
Physics.
one of the extremely small constituents of matter, as an atom or nucleus.
an elementary particle, quark, or gluon.
a body in which the internal motion is negligible.
a clause or article, as of a document.
Grammar.
(in some languages) one of the major form classes, or parts of speech, consisting of words that are neither nouns nor verbs, or of all uninflected words, or the like.
such a word.
a small word of functional or relational use, as an article, preposition, or conjunction, whether of a separate form class or not.
Roman Catholic Church. a small piece of the Host given to each lay communicant in a Eucharistic service.
Origin of particle
1Other words for particle
Other words from particle
- par·ti·cled, adjective
- in·ter·par·ti·cle, adjective
Words Nearby particle
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use particle in a sentence
The butter coating the particles of flour prevents clumps from forming, compared with adding flour by itself.
Sauce, gravy or stew too thin? We’ve got 3 ways to fix that. | Aaron Hutcherson | February 12, 2021 | Washington PostWhen just the receiving manikin wore the double mask, it was protected from 83 percent of particles.
Making masks fit better can reduce coronavirus exposure by 96 percent | Tina Hesman Saey | February 12, 2021 | Science NewsWhile it’s clear that nowhere is safe from this cloud of microplastics, research into the human health impacts of the particles has been relatively scant.
Microplastics are everywhere. Here’s what that means for our health. | Ula Chrobak | February 11, 2021 | Popular-SciencePhiladelphia had the lowest average particle concentration of any city, at 112 micrograms per cubic meter.
Air pollution in US subway stations is disturbingly high | Kate Baggaley | February 11, 2021 | Popular-ScienceFrance has mandated its citizens wear masks that block more than 90 percent of airborne particles in public places.
Masks should fit better or be doubled up to protect against coronavirus variants, CDC says | Lena H. Sun, Fenit Nirappil | February 11, 2021 | Washington Post
Indeed, many cutting-edge physicians are manipulating the diet to lower particle number.
When the Higgs particle was discovered, everywhere I went I heard people wondering about its significance.
The New 'Cosmos' Reboot Marks a Promising New Era for Science | Lawrence M. Krauss | March 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAfter episodes of not-so-subtly mentioning the particle accelerator at S.T.A.R Labs, we finally get what we want.
Arrow ‘Three Ghosts’ Recap: Here Comes The Flash! | Chancellor Agard | December 12, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTAfter eight episodes of not-so-subtly mentioning the particle accelerator at S.T.A.R Labs, we finally get what we want.
Arrow ‘Three Ghosts’ Recap: Here Comes The Flash! | Chancellor Agard | December 12, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTFor 50 years, scientists had predicted the existence of the particle we now know as Higgs boson, which gives mass to matter.
This, as a piece of pure economics, does not interest the individual employer a particle.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice | Stephen LeacockI can tell you, my dear idealist—you have not changed a particle, by the way—that there is another side you have never seen.
Ancestors | Gertrude AthertonLet us conceive a particle of air situated immediately over the earth's polar axis.
Outlines of the Earth's History | Nathaniel Southgate ShalerThen let us imagine the particle moving toward the equator with the speed of an ordinary wind.
Outlines of the Earth's History | Nathaniel Southgate ShalerIt was a hair-raising problem, too, and called for every ounce of nerve and every particle of skill the boy possessed.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run | Stanley R. Matthews
British Dictionary definitions for particle
/ (ˈpɑːtɪkəl) /
an extremely small piece of matter; speck
a very tiny amount; iota: it doesn't make a particle of difference
a function word, esp (in certain languages) a word belonging to an uninflected class having suprasegmental or grammatical function: the Greek particles ``mēn'' and ``de'' are used to express contrast; questions in Japanese are indicated by the particle ``ka''; English ``up'' is sometimes regarded as an adverbial particle
a common affix, such as re-, un-, or -ness
physics a body with finite mass that can be treated as having negligible size, and internal structure
RC Church a small piece broken off from the Host at Mass
archaic a section or clause of a document
Origin of particle
1Collins 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 particle
[ pär′tĭ-kəl ]
A very small piece of solid matter.
An elementary particle, subatomic particle, or atomic nucleus. Also called corpuscle
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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