gluon

noun

glu·​on ˈglü-ˌän How to pronounce gluon (audio)
: a hypothetical neutral massless particle held to bind together quarks to form hadrons

Examples of gluon in a Sentence

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Turning electrons into a particle-hunting beam The GlueX experiment is built to investigate exotic mesons, particularly particles in which gluons—the particles that carry the strong nuclear force—may play a direct role. — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 23 Aug. 2026 Their results recently published in the journal Physical Review Letters signal a major breakthrough in quantum physics—one that indicates a primordial quark-gluon plasma soup is actually possible with lighter ingredients. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 20 Aug. 2026 Physicists have now found a new clue about the source of this mismatch by studying quarks and gluons—the building blocks of baryonic matter. — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 13 Aug. 2026 The strongest wake signals were detected in more centralised lead-lead collisions, which create more quark-gluon plasma. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 17 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for gluon

Word History

Etymology

glue entry 1 + -on entry 2

First Known Use

1971, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gluon was in 1971

Rhymes for gluon

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Browse Nearby Words

glunch
gluon
glut
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Cite this Entry

“Gluon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gluon. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on gluon

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about gluon

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