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.
Rather, scientists wanted to know what happened in the few microseconds after the Big Bang, when the temperatures were too high to make protons and neutrons and matter instead existed as a plasma of quarks and gluons. — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 31 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 4 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on gluon

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about gluon

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