electron
Americannoun
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electrons
plural
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Also called negatron. Physics, Chemistry. an elementary particle that is a fundamental constituent of matter, having a negative charge of 1.602 × 10 −19 coulombs, a mass of 9.108 × 10 −31 kilograms, and spin of ½, and existing independently or as the component outside the nucleus of an atom.
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Electricity. a unit of charge equal to the charge on one electron.
noun
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A stable elementary particle in the lepton family having a mass at rest of 9.107 × 10 - 28 grams and a negative electric charge of approximately 1.602 × 10 - 19 coulombs. Electrons orbit about the positively charged nuclei of atoms in distinct orbitals of different energy levels, called shells. Electrons are the primary charge carriers in electric current.
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Compare positron See also electromagnetism elementary particle ion See Table at subatomic particle
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A positron or a negatron.
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The movement of large numbers of electrons through conductors constitutes an electric current.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of electron
Term first suggested in 1891 by Irish physicist G. J. Stoney (1826–1911); electr(ic) + -on (from the names of charged particles, as ion, cation, anion ) with perhaps accidental allusion to Greek ḗlektron amber ( electric )
Compare meaning
How does electron compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
If you take chemistry, you will learn about electrons. Electrons are the smallest of the particles that make up an atom, and they carry a negative charge. The number of protons and electrons is equal in a neutral atom. The hydrogen atom, for example, has just one electron and one proton. The uranium atom, on the other hand, has 92 protons, and therefore, 92 electrons. An electron is so small that it cannot be seen with the naked eye, but neither can the atom itself.
Vocabulary lists containing electron
Quantum of Vocabulary: the Parlance of Particle Physics
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Matter and Energy 1: Atoms and Molecules
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Chemistry - Introductory
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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.
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Their idea is to connect an electron microscope to a quantum computer.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026
That could allow scientists to recover useful details that would be impossible to identify using ordinary electron counting alone.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026
The basic imaging process still relies on electrons, just as it does in a conventional electron microscope.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026
By doing so, the researchers hope to extract more useful information from each electron, potentially allowing scientists to form clearer images while exposing delicate samples to fewer electrons.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026
His confidence was based on the recent discovery by Dirac of the equation that governed the electron.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
Understanding how electrons are distributed through those structures can help chemists explain why molecules have particular properties and why they undergo certain chemical reactions.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
By doing so, the researchers hope to extract more useful information from each electron, potentially allowing scientists to form clearer images while exposing delicate samples to fewer electrons.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026
By repeatedly carrying out carefully designed quantum operations, the system can combine information from multiple electrons.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026
That result was surprising because, beyond the quantum limit, electrons should be restricted to the lowest Landau level.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 5, 2026
But scientists can give black holes and electrons an extra dimension.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
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.
