Meaning & use
electron
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Meanings
nouncountablephysics
A tiny particle with a negative electric charge that moves around the nucleus of an atom.
Grammar: A countable noun: one electron, billions of electrons.
Patterns
- an electron in something
- electrons orbit something
Each hydrogen atom has one electron circling its nucleus.
When electrons flow through a wire, they create an electric current.
Chemists study how atoms share electrons to form bonds.
nouncountablespecialist
In electronics and chemistry, a carrier of charge whose movement produces current or reactions.
Grammar: Often appears in the plural when talking about flow or transfer.
Patterns
- transfer electrons
- free electrons
Metals conduct heat well because they have many free electrons.
The battery pushes electrons through the circuit.
In the reaction, one atom gives up an electron to another.
Word forms
| plural | electrons |
|---|
Common combinations
- free electron
- A free electron can move through a metal.
- flow of electrons
- Electric current is the flow of electrons.
- electron beam
- An electron beam can scan a sample in a microscope.
- electron microscope
- The virus was photographed with an electron microscope.
- electron shell
- Neon has a full outer electron shell.
Synonyms and how they differ
- negatron
- Negatron is a rare, older term for a negative electron, used mainly to distinguish it from a positron.
- beta particle
- A beta particle is an electron produced in radioactive decay, so it describes the source rather than the particle itself.
Opposites
Word family
- electronic adjective
- using the flow of electrons in devices
- electronics noun
- the science and technology of such devices
- electricity noun
- energy from charged particles
- electrode noun
- a conductor through which current enters or leaves
Commonly confused: electron or neutron? electron or proton?
electron vs neutron
A neutron has no electric charge and sits in the nucleus, whereas an electron has a negative charge and moves outside it.
electron vs proton
A proton carries a positive charge and is found in the nucleus.
Practice
Which particle carries a negative charge and moves around an atom's nucleus?
Choose one answer.
The electron is negatively charged and orbits the nucleus. A proton is positive, a neutron has no charge, and the nucleus is not a single particle.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “electron”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.