particulate
Americanadjective
noun
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a separate and distinct particle.
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a material composed of such particles.
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particulates,
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the aggregate of such particles, especially as produced by one source.
tests to analyze diesel particulates.
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Meteorology. solid or liquid particles suspended in the atmosphere, especially pollutants.
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noun
adjective
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of or made up of separate particles
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genetics of, relating to, or designating inheritance of characteristics, esp with emphasis on the role of genes
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A very small particle, as of dust or soot. Particulates that are given off by the burning of oil, gasoline, and other fuels can remain suspended in the atmosphere for long periods, where they are a major component of air pollution and smog.
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A substance or suspension composed of such particles, such as sand or smoke.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of particulate
1870–75; < New Latin particulātus, equivalent to Latin particul ( a ) particle + -ātus -ate 1
Vocabulary lists containing particulate
Earth Science - Middle School
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Earth Science - High School
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Human Impacts on Earth Systems - Middle School and High School
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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.
Its aim was to reduce the most harmful air pollutants - nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter.
From BBC • May 27, 2026
Touring Parish, he pointed to pollution controls for mercury, nitrogen oxide and fine particulate matter, investments totaling hundreds of millions of dollars.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
The alert includes the cities of Indio, Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Palm Desert, La Quinta and Coachella, and the highest levels of particulate matter are expected in the northwest Coachella Valley.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026
Diesel exhaust contains nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, pollutants linked to smog, respiratory disease, and climate impacts.
From Science Daily • Mar. 13, 2026
When particulate matter in the atmosphere was sufficient, light from the ground got trapped and reflected back, and the entire Detroit sky would become the soft pink of cotton candy.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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.
