strong force

American  

noun

Physics.

1. Also called nuclear force. the short-range attractive force between baryons that holds together the nucleus of the atom.

2. Also called color force. the force between quarks.

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strong force Scientific  

/ strông /

1. The fundamental force that mediates interactions between particles with color charge, such as quarks and gluons. The strong force binds quarks together to form baryons such as protons and neutrons, maintains the binding of protons and neutrons together in atomic nuclei, and is responsible for many particle decay processes. Particles that interact through the strong force exchange gluons, much as particles involved in electromagnetic interactions exchange photons. Quark color, but not flavor, is changed by the exchange of gluons. The strong force is stronger than the weak force, the electromagnetic force, and gravity, but has been known to apply only across distances the size of atomic nuclei or smaller.

2. Also called color force strong interaction, strong nuclear force

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strong force Cultural  

1. In physics, the force that holds particles together in the atomic nucleus and the force that holds quarks together in elementary particles.

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Discover More

As the name implies, this is the strongest force known in nature.

Etymology

Origin of strong force

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

strong force

Gluons are particles that help bind quarks together through the strong force.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 12, 2026

Instead, the results are consistent with gluon saturation, a phenomenon predicted by quantum chromodynamics, the theory that describes the strong force.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 12, 2026

One possibility is that it represents a hybrid state involving two strange quarks and excited gluons, the particles that carry the strong force.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 2, 2026

The four fundamental forces – gravity, electromagnetism, the weak force and the strong force – govern how these particles interact.

From Science Daily ● May 26, 2026

For this theory to give the observed value of the strong force between particles, the strings had to be like rubber bands with a pull of about ten tons.

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking