1
: a quantum of electromagnetic radiation
Light is made of particles called photons, bundles of the electromagnetic field that carry a specific amount of energy.Matthew R. Francis
Should a substance happen to have a lot of electrons in a higher level, and a lower level is mostly empty …, then a photon can cause an electron to transfer from a higher state to a lower one. This change releases energy and creates a new photon, in addition to the one which caused the transfer. This photon can in turn induce more electrons to fall to a lower state.Robert Gilmore
2
dated : troland

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Science and the Photon

It was Albert Einstein who first theorized that the energy in a light beam exists in small bits or particles, and scientists today know that light sometimes behaves like a wave (somewhat like sound or water) and sometimes like a stream of particles. The energies of photons range from high-energy gamma rays and X-rays down to low-energy infrared and radio waves, though all travel at the same speed. The amazing power of lasers is the result of a concentration of photons that have been made to travel together in order to hit their target at the same time.

Examples of photon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The most powerful systems of the future may therefore use both, letting electrons and photons do the jobs each is best suited for. Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026 The project team says that only about one photon in 10 trillion is Raman-scattered. Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 5 Sep. 2026 Then, one of the two photons would stay in one location while the other photon would be moved to whatever destination is desired. IEEE Spectrum, 2 Sep. 2026 Solar ultraviolet photons break apart bonds in molecules, creating radicals, which oxidize VOCs. Michael A. Robinson, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for photon

Word History

Etymology

phot- + -on entry 2

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of photon was in 1916

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Cite this Entry

“Photon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/photon. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

Kids Definition

: a tiny particle or bundle of electromagnetic radiation

Medical Definition

1
: a unit of intensity of light at the retina equal to the illumination received per square millimeter of a pupillary area from a surface having a brightness of one candela per square meter

called also troland

2
: a quantum of electromagnetic radiation

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