strong force

noun

: a fundamental physical force that acts on hadrons and is responsible for the binding together of protons and neutrons in the atomic nucleus and for processes of particle creation in high-energy collisions and that is the strongest known fundamental physical force but acts only over distances comparable to those between nucleons in an atomic nucleus

called also strong interaction, strong nuclear force

compare electromagnetism sense 2a, gravity sense 3a(2), weak force

Examples of strong force in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The residual strong force that these mesons mediate is also hugely important. —Aaron Shattuck, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024

The article describes the strong force as constant beyond a certain distance. —Aaron Shattuck, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024

OneAmerica has been a strong force in the Indianapolis financial services industry since its start in 1877 providing death benefits to the Knights of Pythias. —Alysa Guffey, The Indianapolis Star, 16 Sep. 2024

But the ticking of a nuclear clock comes from a comparative terra incognita, the mysterious domain of the strong force that binds nuclei together. —Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 11 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1964, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

strong force

noun

: the force between the particles of an atomic nucleus that acts to hold the nucleus together and is the strongest known force