standard model

American  

noun

Physics.

1. a mathematical description of the elementary particles of matter and the fundamental forces by which they interact and behave; a model combining electromagnetic and weak forces.

---

standard model British  

noun

1. physics a theory of fundamental interactions in which the electromagnetic, weak, and strong interactions are described in terms of the exchange of virtual particles

---

standard model Scientific  

1. A theory of subatomic particles and their interactions. The standard model is a kind of quantum field theory and states that all matter consists of three types of particles: leptons, quarks, and the gauge bosons (gluons, intermediate vector bosons, and photons), which are responsible for the strong, weak, and electromagnetic forces, along with the more controversial Higgs boson. The standard model was first formulated in the 1970s and was tested repeatedly in the 1980s. It correctly predicted the existence and properties of W and Z bosons. It does not, however, unify all forces, since it does not include an explanation of gravity; a boson called the graviton that might be the mediator of gravity has not been found and cannot be accounted for in the model.

---

standard model Cultural  

1. The best theory of the ultimate nature of matter available today. In this theory, all matter is made from quarks and leptons. Particles interact with each other through the medium of the strong force, the electromagnetic force, the weak force, and the gravitational force. At high temperature, the theory sees the first three of these forces as an example of a single unified force.

---

Discover More

The standard model describes the early evolution of the big bang.

The standard model is a unified field theory.

Example Sentences

Cigna Healthcare will adopt this model for its fully insured customers beginning in 2027 and the model will become the standard model available to all Evernorth benefits clients the following year.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025

The current best candidate for dark matter is the axion, a particle that fits nicely within the standard model of physics and solves several other outstanding puzzles in particle physics.

From Science Daily • Nov. 21, 2024

Minic instead argued that the quantum theory behind Einstein's gravity and standard model for matter is gravitized quantum theory.

From Salon • Nov. 13, 2024

It completed what is called the standard model of particle physics.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2024

Wegener investigated the many plant and fossil anomalies that did not fit comfortably into the standard model of Earth history and realized that very little of it made sense if conventionally interpreted.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson