A particleof something is a very small piece or amount of it.
...a particle of hot metal.
There is a particle of truth in his statement. [+ of]
...food particles.
2. countable noun
In physics, a particle is a piece of matter smaller than an atom, for example an electron or a proton.
[technical]
3. countable noun
In grammar, a particle is a preposition such as 'into' or an adverb such as 'out' which can combine with a verb to form a phrasal verb.
More Synonyms of particle
English Easy Learning GrammarCompound nounsA compound noun is a noun that is formed from two or more words. The meaning of thewhole compound is often different from the meaning of the two words ... Read more
particle in British English
(ˈpɑːtɪkəl)
noun
1.
an extremely small piece of matter; speck
2.
a very tiny amount; iota
it doesn't make a particle of difference
3.
a function word, esp (in certain languages) a word belonging to an uninflected class having suprasegmental or grammatical function
the Greek particles "men" and "de" are used to express contrast
questions in Japanese are indicated by the particle "ka"
English "up" is sometimes regarded as an adverbial particle
4.
a common affix, such as re-, un-, or -ness
5. physics
a body with finite mass that can be treated as having negligible size and internal structure
6. elementary particle
7. Roman Catholic Church
a small piece broken off from the Host at Mass
8. archaic
a section or clause of a document
Word origin
C14: from Latin particula a small part, from parspart
particle in American English
(ˈpɑrtɪkəl)
noun
1.
a.
an extremely small piece; tiny fragment
a dust particle
b.
the slightest trace; speck
not a particle of truth
2. Archaic
a clause or article in a document
3. Grammar
a.
a short, usually uninflected and invariable part of speech used to express a syntactic or semantic relationship, as an article or any of certain prepositions, conjunctions, or interjections
b.
a prefix or derivational suffix
4. Physics
elementary particle
5. Roman CatholicChurch
a small piece of the consecrated Host or any of the small Hosts given to lay communicants
Word origin
ME partycle < MFr particule < L particula, dim. of pars, part1
A particle is a very small piece of a solid or liquid.
Dust is an aerosol of particles of any solid material.
When most of the particles in water have a negative electrical charge, they tend to repel each other.
A particle is a very small piece of a solid or liquid.
particle dispersoid, particle technology
Examples of 'particle' in a sentence
particle
In the mysterious world of subatomic physics, he'd told her, a particle could exist in two places at once.
Stewart, Michael COMPULSION (2001)
She sensed that every particle of his energies was being put to a single purpose: the stilling of whatever raged on the threshold.
Clive Barker THE GREAT AND SECRET SHOW (2001)
They rewrote the particle program to include a genetic algorithm.
Michael Crichton PREY (2001)
In other languages
particle
British English: particle NOUN
A particle of something is a very small piece or amount of it.
...a particle of hot metal.
American English: particle
Brazilian Portuguese: partícula
Chinese: 微粒
European Spanish: partícula
French: particule
German: Partikel
Italian: particella
Japanese: 小さな粒
Korean: 극히 작은 조각
European Portuguese: partícula
Latin American Spanish: partícula
All related terms of 'particle'
J particle
a short-lived , relatively massive meson having no charge and a mass c. 6,060 times that of an electron: it is the combination of a charmed quark and its antiparticle
W particle
a type of elementary particle with either a positive or negative charge considered to transmit the weak interaction between other elementary particles. W particles have a rest mass of 1.435 × 10 –25 kg
Z particle
a type of neutral elementary particle considered to transmit the weak interaction between other elementary particles. Z particles have a rest mass of 1.62557 × 10 –25 kg
beta particle
a high-speed electron or positron emitted by a nucleus during radioactive decay or nuclear fission
God particle
an elementary particle with zero spin and mass greater than zero, predicted to exist by electroweak theory and other gauge theories, discovered in 2012
particle beam
a stream of energized particles produced by a particle accelerator
psi particle
→ J particle
tau particle
an unstable , negatively charged lepton with a mass of c. 1,777 MeV/c 2 (or c. 3,490 times that of an electron ) and a mean lifetime of 2.2 ×10 -13 second
alpha particle
a helium-4 nucleus , containing two neutrons and two protons , emitted during some radioactive transformations
delta particle
a very short-lived hyperon
particle board
a thin rigid sheet made of compressed wood chips bound with a synthetic resin
quasi-particle
an object that is similar to a particle , but does not meet the full criteria of a particle
charged particle
an atomic particle with a positive or negative charge, as an electron , proton , or helium ion
J/psi particle
a type of elementary particle ( meson ) thought to be formed from charmed quarks
negative particle
a word that indicates negativity, for example 'not' in English or 'ne pas ' in French
nobiliary particle
a preposition , such as French de or German von, occurring as part of a title or surname
particle kinetics
Particle kinetics is the study of the movement of particles and the forces that cause this movement.
particle physics
Particle physics is the study of the qualities of atoms and molecules and the way they behave and react .
particle velocity
the velocity of a point in a medium that is undergoing wave motion
elementary particle
any of several entities , such as electrons , neutrons , or protons , that are less complex than atoms and are regarded as the constituents of all matter
fundamental particle
→ elementary particle
particle accelerator
A particle accelerator is a machine used for research in nuclear physics which can make particles that are smaller than atoms move very fast .
particle dispersoid
A particle dispersoid is a suspension of solid particles in a gas.
particle kinematics
Particle kinematics is the study of the movement of particles, without considering the forces that cause this movement.
particle separation
a rule that moves the particle of a phrasal verb , thus deriving a sentence like He looked the answer up from a structure that also underlies He looked up the answer
particle technology
Particle technology is knowledge and study which relates to particles, and is used in industry .
high-energy particle
an atomic or subatomic particle with energy greater than 100 MeV
particle beam weapon
a weapon that fires particle beams into the atmosphere or space
magnetic particle inspection
a method of testing for cracks and other defects in a magnetic material, such as steel , by covering it with a magnetic powder and magnetizing it: any variation in the concentration of the powder indicates a flaw in the material
Higgs boson
an elementary particle with zero spin and mass greater than zero, predicted to exist by electroweak theory and other gauge theories, discovered in 2012
lambda
the 11th letter of the Greek alphabet (Λ, λ), a consonant transliterated as l
Rutherford scattering
the scattering of an alpha particle through a large angle with respect to the original direction of motion of the particle, caused by an atom ( Rutherford atom ) with most of the mass and all of the positive electric charge concentrated at a center or nucleus
Chinese translation of 'particle'
particle
(ˈpɑːtɪkl)
n(c)
[of dust, metal]微粒 (wēilì) (颗, kē)
[of food]小粒 (xiǎolì)
(noun)
Definition
an extremely small piece or amount
Particles of food can get stuck between the teeth.
Synonyms
bit
a bit of cake
piece
a piece of wood
Another piece of cake?
scrap
a fire fuelled by scraps of wood
grain
a grain of sand
molecule
a molecule of sulfur trioxide
atom
one carbon atom attached to four hydrogens
shred
There is not a shred of truth in this story.
crumb
I stood up, brushing crumbs from my trousers.
mite
jot
It doesn't affect my judgement one jot.
speck
He leaned forward and brushed a speck of dust off his shoes.
mote
Dust motes swirled in the sunlight.
whit
It does not make one whit of difference what we do.
tittle
iota
Our credit standards have not changed one iota.
Additional synonyms
in the sense of atom
Definition
a very small amount
one carbon atom attached to four hydrogens
Synonyms
particle,
bit,
spot,
trace,
scrap,
molecule,
grain,
dot,
fragment,
fraction,
shred,
crumb,
mite,
jot,
speck,
morsel,
mote,
whit,
tittle,
iota,
scintilla (rare)
in the sense of crumb
Definition
a small fragment of bread or other dry food
I stood up, brushing crumbs from my trousers.
Synonyms
bit,
grain,
particle,
fragment,
shred,
speck,
sliver,
morsel
in the sense of grain
Definition
a very small amount
a grain of sand
Synonyms
bit,
piece,
trace,
spark,
scrap,
suspicion,
molecule,
particle,
fragment,
atom,
ounce,
crumb,
mite,
jot,
speck,
morsel,
granule,
scruple,
modicum,
mote,
whit,
iota,
scintilla (rare)
Synonyms of 'particle'
particle
Explore 'particle' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of iota
Definition
a very small amount
Our credit standards have not changed one iota.
Synonyms
bit,
particle,
atom,
trace,
hint,
scrap,
grain,
mite,
jot,
speck,
whit,
tittle,
scintilla (rare)
in the sense of jot
Definition
the least bit
It doesn't affect my judgement one jot.
Synonyms
bit,
detail,
ace,
scrap,
grain,
particle,
atom,
fraction,
trifle,
mite,
tad (informal),
speck,
morsel,
whit,
tittle,
iota,
scintilla,
smidgen or smidgin (informal)
in the sense of molecule
Definition
a very small particle
a molecule of sulfur trioxide
Synonyms
particle,
atom,
mite,
jot,
speck,
mote,
iota
in the sense of mote
Definition
a tiny speck
Dust motes swirled in the sunlight.
Synonyms
speck,
spot,
grain,
particle,
fragment,
atom,
mite
in the sense of piece
Definition
a separate bit or part
a piece of woodAnother piece of cake?
Synonyms
bit,
section,
slice,
part,
share,
division,
block,
length,
quantity,
scrap,
segment,
portion,
fragment,
fraction,
chunk,
wedge,
shred,
slab,
mouthful,
morsel,
wodge (British, informal)
in the sense of scrap
Definition
a small piece of something larger
a fire fuelled by scraps of wood
Synonyms
piece,
fragment,
bit,
trace,
grain,
particle,
portion,
snatch,
part,
atom,
remnant,
crumb,
mite,
bite,
mouthful,
snippet,
sliver,
morsel,
modicum,
iota
in the sense of shred
Definition
a very small amount
There is not a shred of truth in this story.
Synonyms
particle,
trace,
scrap,
grain,
atom,
jot,
whit,
iota
in the sense of speck
Definition
a small or tiny piece of something
He leaned forward and brushed a speck of dust off his shoes.
Synonyms
particle,
bit,
grain,
dot,
atom,
shred,
mite,
jot,
modicum,
whit,
tittle,
iota
in the sense of tittle
Definition
a very small amount
Synonyms
bit,
drop,
scrap,
dash,
grain,
particle,
atom,
shred,
mite,
jot,
speck,
whit,
iota
in the sense of whit
It does not make one whit of difference what we do.