sulfur
Americannoun
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Chemistry. Also a nonmetallic element that exists in several forms, the ordinary one being a yellow rhombic crystalline solid, and that burns with a blue flame and a suffocating odor: used especially in making gunpowder and matches, in medicine, in vulcanizing rubber, etc. S; 32.064; 16; 2.07 at 20° C.
noun
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A pale-yellow, brittle nonmetallic element that occurs widely in nature, especially in volcanic deposits, minerals, natural gas, and petroleum. It is used to make gunpowder and fertilizer, to vulcanize rubber, and to produce sulfuric acid. Atomic number 16; atomic weight 32.066; melting point (rhombic) 112.8°C; (monoclinic) 119.0°C; boiling point 444.6°C; specific gravity (rhombic) 2.07; (monoclinic) 1.957; valence 2, 4, 6.
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See Periodic Table
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of sulfur
1300–50; Middle English sulphur < Latin sulpur, sulphur, sulfur brimstone, sulfur
Vocabulary lists containing sulfur
Rocks and Minerals - Middle School and High School
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Common Chemical Elements
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Because CO chondrites contain relatively little sulfur, the new evidence suggests that sulfur from the meteorite itself may not have been the main driver of the catastrophe.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026
Shipments of sulfur from Canada were up sharply as global supplies were constricted by the war and the squeeze on goods moving through the Strait of Hormuz.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
Phosphate fertilizer prices jumped 25% due to a fivefold increase in sulfur costs, impacting producers like Mosaic.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
Mosaic shares could rebound if the Hormuz peace holds and sulfur exports flow again, BMO’s Jackson predicts.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
I set a third candle in a holder on the table and used one of the sulfur matches in the drawer to set it alight.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
