synapse

1 of 2

noun

: the point at which a nervous impulse passes from one neuron to another

synapse

2 of 2

verb

synapsed; synapsing

intransitive verb

1
: to form a synapse
2
: to come together in synapsis

Examples of synapse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Neuron and synapse properties—and even the network structure itself—are always changing, driven mostly by sensory input and feedback from the environment. IEEE Spectrum, 31 May 2017 Halfway down the Aegean coast, Smyrna, as Asia Minor ancients called it, was where East met West as an economic and cultural synapse at the end of the Silk Road. Alex Crevar, New York Times, 11 July 2024 This is incredibly uncommon—more than 96 percent of connections between neurons have just one synapse, and more than 99 percent have three or fewer synapses, per Google’s blog post. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 May 2024 Instead of looking how each neuron and synapse operates in the brain and trying to emulate that from the bottom up, Gonzalez says, the his team’s approach involved implementing key performance features of the brain. IEEE Spectrum, 8 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for synapse 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

New Latin synapsis, from Greek, juncture, from synaptein to fasten together, from syn- + haptein to fasten

First Known Use

Noun

1899, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1910, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of synapse was in 1899

Dictionary Entries Near synapse

Cite this Entry

“Synapse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/synapse. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

synapse

noun
syn·​apse
ˈsin-ˌaps,
sə-ˈnaps
: the point at which a nerve impulse passes from one neuron to another

Medical Definition

synapse

1 of 2 noun
syn·​apse
ˈsin-ˌaps also sə-ˈnaps, chiefly British ˈsī-ˌnaps
1
: the place at which a nerve impulse passes from one neuron to another
2

synapse

2 of 2 intransitive verb
synapsed; synapsing
: to form a synapse or come together in synapsis

More from Merriam-Webster on synapse

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