tungsten

American  

[tuhng-stuhn] / ˈtʌŋ stən /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a rare, metallic element having a bright-gray color, a metallic luster, and a high melting point, 3410° C, and found in wolframite, tungstite, and other minerals: used in alloys of high-speed cutting tools, electric-lamp filaments, etc. W; 183.85; 74; 19.3.

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tungsten British  

/ ˈtʌŋstən /

noun

1. Also called: wolfram.  a hard malleable ductile greyish-white element. It occurs principally in wolframite and scheelite and is used in lamp filaments, electrical contact points, X-ray targets, and, alloyed with steel, in high-speed cutting tools. Symbol: W; atomic no: 74; atomic wt: 183.85; valency: 2–6; relative density: 19.3; melting pt: 3422±20°C; boiling pt: 5555°C

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tungsten Scientific  

/ tŭng′stən /

1. A hard, gray to white metallic element that is very resistant to corrosion. It has the highest melting point of all elements, and it retains its strength at high temperatures. It is used to make light-bulb filaments and to increase the hardness and strength of steel. Atomic number 74; atomic weight 183.84; melting point 3,410°C; boiling point 5,900°C; specific gravity 19.3 (20°C); valence 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

2. Also called wolfram

3. See Periodic Table

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Other Word Forms

• tungstenic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of tungsten

1760–70; < Swedish, equivalent to tung heavy + sten stone

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tungsten

Tank armor also uses critical materials including titanium and tungsten alloys that help give the vehicles a high strength-to-weight ratio.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

"After that, we want to see whether the same approach works for related materials -- swapping molybdenum for tungsten, or sulfur for selenium -- to find out how broadly this idea can be applied."

From Science Daily ● Jun. 17, 2026

Brodie Sutherland, CEO of Nevada-based tungsten mining company Patriot Critical Minerals, said his firm hired a lobbyist.

From Salon ● May 31, 2026

The rise in prices of tungsten, a key component in electronics and aerospace, since February 2025.

From Barron's ● Mar. 21, 2026

They had fenced off the parallel faces of each dee with a grid of fine tungsten wires to prevent the electrical field from impinging within the dees while allowing the particle beam to pass through.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik