subatomic particle

American  

[suhb-uh-tahm-ik pahr-ti-kuhl] / ˌsʌb əˈtɑm ɪk ˈpɑr tɪ kəl /

noun

subatomic particles plural

1. Physics. any of various basic constituents of matter that are smaller than an atom, such as a proton, electron, or gluon.

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subatomic particle Scientific  

/ sŭb′ə-tŏm′ĭk /

1. Any of various particles of matter that are smaller than a hydrogen atom. Protons, neutrons, and electrons are subatomic particles, as are all hadrons and leptons.

2. See also composite particle elementary particle

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Example Sentences

For decades, a puzzling discrepancy involving a tiny subatomic particle called the muon fueled speculation that physicists might be on the verge of discovering an entirely new force of nature.

From Science Daily • May 19, 2026

Every time one tiny subatomic particle smashes into another during experiments at the LHC, the impact generates staggering volumes of data – about one petabyte per second.

From BBC • Jul. 1, 2024

The largest scientific project in Antarctica, ICECUBE, attempts to quantify and trace an unfathomably small subatomic particle — the neutrino.

From Salon • May 29, 2023

Through what’s called beta-minus decay, a neutron will transform into a proton, spitting out an electron and another subatomic particle called a neutrino in the process.

From Scientific American • Jan. 9, 2023

Improbably he wondered if the neutron–the subatomic particle that had just been discovered in England by James Chadwick, and was thus both novel and rather fashionable–might be at the heart of things.

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