particle

noun

par·​ti·​cle ˈpär-ti-kəl 

1

a

: a minute quantity or fragment

b

: a relatively small or the smallest discrete portion or amount of something

2

archaic : a clause or article of a composition or document

3

: any of the basic units of matter and energy (such as a molecule, atom, proton, electron, or photon)

4

: a unit of speech expressing some general aspect of meaning or some connective or limiting relation and including the articles, most prepositions and conjunctions, and some interjections and adverbs

the particle up has a perfective meaning in phrases such as beat up and cut up

5

: a small eucharistic wafer distributed to a Roman Catholic layman at Communion

Synonyms

• sprinkling
• speck
• hint
• splash
• glimmer
• shred
• bit
• touch
• little
• trace
• lick
• ray
• spark
• tad

Examples of particle in a Sentence

There is not a particle of evidence to support their claim.

There is not a particle of truth in what he said.

The phrasal verb “look up” consists of the verb “look” and the adverbial particle “up.”

Recent Examples on the Web

Scrub your way across the surface to dislodge any final particles and help remove germs and bacteria, then rinse the grill grates well with fresh water. —Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 June 2025

Use a rake and shovel to clear leaves, sticks, and wood chips from your yard, and a leaf blower for any fine particles. —Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 27 June 2025

The Higgs boson then decays, forming a pair of Z bosons, another particle associated with the weak force. —Matt Von Hippel, ArsTechnica, 23 June 2025

Each June, Earth encounters a stream of particles shed by the 5-kilometer-wide (3.1-mile-wide) comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke, heralding the onset of the Bootid meteor shower. —Anthony Wood, Space.com, 22 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin particula, from diminutive of part-, pars

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing particle

• alpha particle
• beta particle
• elementary particle
• fundamental particle
• J/psi particle
• particle accelerator
• particle physics
• psi particle
• W particle
• Z particle

Rhymes for particle

• article
• interparticle
• nanoparticle
• quasiparticle

Kids Definition

particle

noun

par·​ti·​cle ˈpärt-i-kəl 

1

: one of the very small parts of matter (as a molecule, atom, or electron)

2

: a very small quantity or piece

3

: the smallest possible portion

Medical Definition

particle

noun

par·​ti·​cle ˈpärt-i-kəl 

1

: one of the minute subdivisions of matter (as an atom or molecule)

also : elementary particle

2

: a minute quantity or fragment