tungsten carbide

American  

noun

1. a very hard, black or gray compound of tungsten and carbon, used in the manufacture of cutting and abrasion tools, dies, and wear-resistant machine parts.

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tungsten carbide British  

noun

1. a fine very hard crystalline grey powder produced by heating tungsten and carbon to a very high temperature: used in the manufacture of drill bits, dies, etc. Symbol: WC; melting pt: 2870°C

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tungsten carbide Scientific  

1. An inorganic carbon compound that forms a fine gray powder whose grains are dense and extremely hard. Tungsten carbide is used in tools, dies, wear-resistant machine parts, and abrasives. Chemical formula: WC.

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Etymology

Origin of tungsten carbide

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

The roughly $600 million investment will be made with Element Six, a synthetic diamond and tungsten carbide supermaterials company that is a subsidiary of De Beers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 17, 2026

In the mill, small tungsten carbide balls bombarded the oil at high speeds, breaking apart some of the polymer's chemical bonds and forming new molecules.

From Science Daily • Nov. 29, 2023

The ring itself is made from “fighter jet” titanium and features a tungsten carbide coating for extra durability.

From The Verge • Jul. 6, 2022

Their bottoms are flecked with tungsten carbide studs.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 22, 2016

Each strand was a fine wire of two-phase material—the harder phase being borazon, the softer being tungsten carbide.

From Thin Edge by Garrett, Randall