Brownian motion
noun
Brown·ian motion
ˈbrau̇-nē-ən- 
: a random movement of microscopic particles suspended in liquids or gases resulting from the impact of molecules of the surrounding medium
called also Brownian movement
Examples of Brownian motion in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
These atoms bounced around in solution due to the random jiggles of Brownian motion and eventually wandered inside the crystals.
—
IEEE Spectrum, 5 Apr. 2011
What looks like Brownian motion, random and chaotic, is in fact as efficient a system of transportation as there is.
—Bryan C. Donohue, Baltimore Sun, 17 Apr. 2024
But another is that at galactic scales, the acceleration due to gravity can vary by a small but random amount, as if spacetime were eliciting some kind of Brownian motion on the masses within it.
—The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 11 Mar. 2024
But there’s another kind of movement available in liquids that has rarely been considered for this purpose—molecular thermal motion or Brownian motion.
—IEEE Spectrum, 27 Oct. 2023
Brown noise gets its name not from the color, but because it’s produced by a type of random movement known as Brownian motion.
—Samantha Vincenty, SELF, 12 Aug. 2022
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.
IEEE Spectrum, 5 Apr. 2011
What looks like Brownian motion, random and chaotic, is in fact as efficient a system of transportation as there is.
—Bryan C. Donohue, Baltimore Sun, 17 Apr. 2024
But another is that at galactic scales, the acceleration due to gravity can vary by a small but random amount, as if spacetime were eliciting some kind of Brownian motion on the masses within it.
—The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 11 Mar. 2024
But there’s another kind of movement available in liquids that has rarely been considered for this purpose—molecular thermal motion or Brownian motion.
—IEEE Spectrum, 27 Oct. 2023
Brown noise gets its name not from the color, but because it’s produced by a type of random movement known as Brownian motion.
—Samantha Vincenty, SELF, 12 Aug. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Brownian motion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Brownian%20motion. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Brownian motion
noun
Brown·ian motion
ˌbrau̇-nē-ən-
: a random movement of microscopic particles in liquids or gases that results from collisions with molecules of the fluid surrounding the particles
called also Brownian movement
Etymology
named for Robert Brown 1773–1858 Scottish scientist
Medical Definition
Brownian motion
noun
Brown·ian motion
ˌbrau̇-nē-ən-
: a random movement of microscopic particles suspended in liquids or gases resulting from the impact of molecules of the fluid surrounding the particles
called also Brownian movement
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share