reactor

American  

[ree-ak-ter] / riˈæk tər /

noun

1. a person or thing that reacts or undergoes reaction.

2. Electricity. a device whose primary purpose is to introduce reactance into a circuit.

3. Immunology, Veterinary Medicine. a patient or animal that reacts positively towards a foreign material.

4. Physics. nuclear reactor.

5. Chemistry. (especially in industry) a large container, as a vat, for processes in which the substances involved undergo a chemical reaction.

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reactor British  

/ rɪˈæktə /

noun

1. chem a substance, such as a reagent, that undergoes a reaction

2. short for nuclear reactor

3. a vessel, esp one in industrial use, in which a chemical reaction takes place

4. a coil of low resistance and high inductance that introduces reactance into a circuit

5. med a person sensitive to a particular drug or agent

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Other Word Forms

• nonreactor noun

Etymology

Origin of reactor

First recorded in 1885–90; 1940–45 reactor for def. 4; react + -or ²

Example Sentences

Japan pulled the plug on nuclear power after a colossal earthquake and tsunami sent three reactors at the Fukushima atomic plant into meltdown in 2011.

From Barron's

Nuclear reactors are expensive and have extended build times.

From Barron's

But, despite extensions to the plant's life, the second reactor was shut down in 2012.

From BBC

These reactors—being built by Westinghouse, Babcock & Wilcox and others—are awaiting certification by various regulators for use in commercial shipping, among other industries.

From The Wall Street Journal

But in practice, the plasma in a commercial reactor would need to multiply energy between 20 and 60 times, a threshold no system has approached.

From The Wall Street Journal