Showing results for "physics"

• plural of physic.
• present tense form of physic (3rd person singular).

physics

American  

[fiz-iks] / ˈfɪz ɪks /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

• physics
  plural

1. the science that deals with matter, energy, motion, and force.

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physics British  

/ ˈfɪzɪks /

noun

1. the branch of science concerned with the properties of matter and energy and the relationships between them. It is based on mathematics and traditionally includes mechanics, optics, electricity and magnetism, acoustics, and heat. Modern physics, based on quantum theory, includes atomic, nuclear, particle, and solid-state studies. It can also embrace applied fields such as geophysics and meteorology

2. physical properties of behaviour

   the physics of the electron

3. archaic natural science or natural philosophy

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physics Scientific  

/ fĭz′ĭks /

1. The scientific study of matter, energy, space, and time, and of the relations between them.

2. The behavior of a given physical system, especially as understood by a physical theory.

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physics Cultural  

1. The scientific study of matter and motion. (See mechanics, optics, quantum mechanics, relativity, and thermodynamics.)

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• physics
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of physics

First recorded in 1580–90; see origin at physic, -ics

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Compare meaning

How does physics compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• physical science vs. physics

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Explanation

Physics is a kind of science, specifically the science of matter and energy and how they interact. Physics is the study of physical matter, energy, and how they work together. Kinetic energy and potential energy are part of physics. Although it may sound really advanced — and it is — physics is involved in everything we do. Champion pool players have a good understanding of how physics influences the movement of the balls. People who design roller coasters better know their physics. And if you've ever rigged up a pulley or a lever, then you've done basic physics.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

physics

Beyond revealing something fundamental about black hole physics, the discovery could help astronomers make much better use of powerful radio telescopes.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

Entanglement is a phenomenon in which quantum systems become linked in ways that cannot be fully explained by classical physics.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

My earliest product ideas, dreamed up more than 60 years ago, fused physics and the culinary arts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

It remains one of the clearest demonstrations that the quantum world operates according to rules that go beyond the familiar laws of classical physics.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

Before this new language, clocks could be used to understand the heavens but not terrestrial physics or biology.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

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Related Words

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