- 1a very small piece of something particles of dust/gold dust/gold particles There was not a particle of evidence (= no evidence at all) to support the case.
- 2 (physics) a very small piece of matter, such as a photon, an electron or a proton, that is part of an atom see also alpha particle, elementary particle Wordfinderatomantiparticle, atom, electron, ion, neutron, nucleus, particle, positron, proton, valency See related entries: Molecules and matter
- 3 (grammar) an adverb or a preposition that can combine with a verb to make a phrasal verb In ‘She tore up the letter’, the word ‘up’ is a particle. see also adverbial particle Word Originlate Middle English: from Latin particula ‘little part’, diminutive of pars, part-.
particle
nounBrE BrE//ˈpɑːtɪkl//; NAmE NAmE//ˈpɑːrtɪkl//
Molecules and matterCheck pronunciation: particle
