: a silver-white metallic chemical element with atomic number 13 that has good electrical and thermal conductivity, high reflectivity, and resistance to oxidation
—often used before another noun
aluminum foil
The sweet spot, the point in a bat where vibration supposedly is least, is said to be two times larger on an aluminum bat than on a wood one.—Hank Hersch
Before he evacuated, Mr. Gonzales tied the boat down with four gigantic ropes and all the storm could do was knock it off the construction blocks. He slowly climbs a battered aluminum ladder propped up on the port side.—Ken Wells
see Chemical Elements Table

Examples of aluminum 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.
According to the arrest affidavit police obtained a search warrant and found a glass jar, aluminum powder, black iron oxide and a pipe that was empty at the time. — Dillon Thomas, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026 The aluminum producer rose more than 2% on better-than-expected earnings for the third quarter, helped by a rebound in its alumina business . — Deena Zaidi, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026 The roughly 70 million metric tons of aluminum produced each year generate about 3% of global industrial carbon dioxide emissions. — Richard Eisenberg, Time, 15 Oct. 2026 Much like the big aluminum food bags, pouch batteries are flat packets made of flexible material that can house multiple battery cells instead of food. — Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for aluminum

Word History

Etymology

alumine "alumina" (borrowed from French, borrowed from Latin alūmin-, alūmen alum entry 1) + -um (in the names of other metals, as platinum entry 1, tantalum)

First Known Use

1812, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of aluminum was in 1812

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Aluminum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aluminum. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Kids Definition

: a silver-white malleable light element that conducts electricity and heat well, is highly resistant to oxidation, and is the most abundant metal in the earth's crust see element

Medical Definition

: a silver-white malleable ductile light trivalent metallic chemical element with atomic number 13 that has good electrical and thermal conductivity, high reflectivity, and resistance to oxidation
—symbol Al
see Chemical Elements Table

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