permanent magnet

American  

noun

1. a magnet that retains its magnetism after being removed from an external magnetic field.

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permanent magnet British  

noun

1. a magnet, often of steel, that retains its magnetization after the magnetic field producing it has been removed

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permanent magnet Scientific  

/ pûr′mə-nənt /

1. A piece of ferromagnetic material that retains its magnetism after it has been magnetized.

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Other Word Forms

• permanent magnetism
  noun

Etymology

Origin of permanent magnet

First recorded in 1820–30

Example Sentences

Despite the large number of known magnetic compounds, no entirely new permanent magnet has been identified from this pool.

From Science Daily • Feb. 19, 2026

Breaking Beijing’s chokehold on rare-earth supply chains requires resolving three bottlenecks: the concentration of heavy rare-earth feedstock in Myanmar and China; catching up in rare-earth processing; and rapidly scaling permanent magnet production.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 22, 2025

Rare earth permanent magnet material is subject to a 13% VAT discount on export from the country, and provincial governments give support on energy costs, for example, which also helps buoy up magnet-making facilities.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2024

Tesla initially used induction motors without rare earth permanent magnets, but switched to a permanent magnet motor for the mass-market Model 3 in 2017.

From Reuters • Nov. 14, 2023

When that is done the same thing is done to the bar as the bar of the permanent magnet exhibits.

From The Wonder Island Boys: The Mysteries of the Caverns by Finlay, Roger Thompson