atomic clock
noun
: a precision clock that depends for its operation on an electrical oscillator regulated by the natural vibration frequencies of an atomic system (such as a beam of cesium atoms)
Examples of atomic clock in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In addition to housing famous politicians, 1 Observatory Circle is also home to a relic of history: the atomic clock, the most precise time scale in the world.
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Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 1 Oct. 2024
The atomic clock’s lynchpin is the electron—to tell time, researchers use a laser to coax the electrons to jump back and forth between two specific energy levels.
—Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024
However, atomic clocks are also vulnerable to sync loss.
—Mindy Weisberger, CNN, 10 Sep. 2024
Satellites in these networks carry atomic clocks that resolve time within a few billionths of a second.
—Becky Ferreira, WIRED, 4 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for atomic clock 
Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 1 Oct. 2024
The atomic clock’s lynchpin is the electron—to tell time, researchers use a laser to coax the electrons to jump back and forth between two specific energy levels.
—Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024
However, atomic clocks are also vulnerable to sync loss.
—Mindy Weisberger, CNN, 10 Sep. 2024
Satellites in these networks carry atomic clocks that resolve time within a few billionths of a second.
—Becky Ferreira, WIRED, 4 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for atomic clock
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'atomic clock.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Atomic clock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/atomic%20clock. Accessed 5 Oct. 2024.
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