polonium
noun
po·lo·ni·um
pə-ˈlō-nē-əm 
: a radioactive metallic element that has similar chemical properties to tellurium and bismuth, is produced mainly from the radioactive decay of neutron-irradiated bismuth, and emits an alpha particle to form an isotope of lead see Chemical Elements Table
Examples of polonium in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The double Nobel Prize winner is most famous for her discovery of radioactivity, as well as the radioactive elements radium and polonium.
—
Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2024
This was the same year that a former FSB officer, Alexander Litvinenko, was assassinated in London with radioactive polonium.
—Calder Walton, Foreign Affairs, 19 July 2023
Their discovery of radioactive elements radium and polonium earned them the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics, shared with Henri Becquerel.
—Lacy Schley, Discover Magazine, 18 Apr. 2017
Russian operatives poisoned Alexander Litvinenko with radioactive polonium and turned him into a human dirty bomb and polonium was spread all around London at every spot that poor man visited.
—Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 21 Mar. 2022
See all Example Sentences for polonium 
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.
Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2024
This was the same year that a former FSB officer, Alexander Litvinenko, was assassinated in London with radioactive polonium.
—Calder Walton, Foreign Affairs, 19 July 2023
Their discovery of radioactive elements radium and polonium earned them the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics, shared with Henri Becquerel.
—Lacy Schley, Discover Magazine, 18 Apr. 2017
Russian operatives poisoned Alexander Litvinenko with radioactive polonium and turned him into a human dirty bomb and polonium was spread all around London at every spot that poor man visited.
—Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 21 Mar. 2022
See all Example Sentences for polonium
Dictionary Entries Near polonium
Cite this Entry
“Polonium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/polonium. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
polonium
noun
po·lo·ni·um
pə-ˈlō-nē-əm
: a radioactive metallic element that is found in pitchblende and decays to form lead see element
Medical Definition
polonium
noun
po·lo·ni·um
pə-ˈlō-nē-əm
: a radioactive metallic element that is similar chemically to tellurium and bismuth, occurs especially in pitchblende and radium-lead residues, and emits an alpha particle to form an isotope of lead
—symbol Po
see Chemical Elements Table
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share