From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishparticlepar‧ti‧cle /ˈpɑːtɪkəl $ ˈpɑːr-/ ●○○ noun [countable] 1 PIECEa very small piece of something dust particlesparticle of tiny particles of soil2 → not a particle of truth/evidence etc3 one of the very small pieces of matter that an atom consists of4 technicalSLG an adverb or preposition that can combine with a verb to form a phrasal verb
Examples from the Corpus
particle• If basic math stumps you, there might not be a future for you as a particle physicist.• The Cambridge professor's brain dances around such sub-atomic particles as leptons and anti-quarks and the possibility of infinitely curved space-time.• If a cloud forms then it will deplete the atmosphere above it of the substances of which the cloud particles are made.• As the emitted particles are absorbed by the surrounding matter, their energy of motion is transformed into heat.• Notice that this decay does not involve particles like protons.• His conclusion was that one particle might survive for every 10,000 billion that started.• Sedimenting particles in the horizontal-head centrifuge must travel the entire length of the liquid in the tube.• subatomic particles such as protons• The accelerations of these particles are determined by the forces which act upon them.particle of• tiny particles of dust in the airOrigin particle (1300-1400) Latin particula, from pars; → PART1 