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

The Trumps gained exposure to minerals when Dominari helped engineer a deal involving a proposed tungsten mine in Kazakhstan that has drawn potential financial backing from Washington.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

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

From Salon ● May 31, 2026

Jian Zhao, the study's first author, built the device using tungsten for the top electrode, hafnium oxide ceramic in the middle, and graphene for the bottom layer.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 7, 2026

You cannot algorithmically reduce the amount of tungsten in a penetrator round.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 6, 2026

A poor pharmacist with little in the way of advanced apparatus, he discovered eight elements–chlorine, fluorine, manganese, barium, molybdenum, tungsten, nitrogen, and oxygen–and got credit for none of them.

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