synapse

1 of 2

noun

syn·​apse ˈsi-ˌnaps  sə-ˈnaps 

: the point at which a nervous impulse passes from one neuron to another

synapse

2 of 2

verb

synapsed; synapsing

intransitive verb

1

: to form a synapse

2

: to come together in synapsis

Examples of synapse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

This is incredibly uncommon—more than 96 percent of connections between neurons have just one synapse, and more than 99 percent have three or fewer synapses, per Google’s blog post. —Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 May 2024

Instead of looking how each neuron and synapse operates in the brain and trying to emulate that from the bottom up, Gonzalez says, the his team’s approach involved implementing key performance features of the brain. —IEEE Spectrum, 8 May 2024

Because complement proteins were associated with synapse loss and the other peptides and proteins with synapse growth, the researchers proposed, A1 astrocytes were probably harmful, while A2s were probably beneficial. —Kenneth Miller, Discover Magazine, 6 Aug. 2017

Thanks to a fibrous prolongation known as the axon, and to the end region of the axon known as the synapse, neurons can send signals to other cells, often quite far away. —Pamela Weintraub, Discover Magazine, 6 July 2011

Word History

Etymology

Noun

New Latin synapsis, from Greek, juncture, from synaptein to fasten together, from syn- + haptein to fasten

First Known Use

Noun

1899, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1910, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

synapse

noun

syn·​apse

ˈsin-ˌaps,

sə-ˈnaps

: the point at which a nerve impulse passes from one neuron to another

Medical Definition

synapse

1 of 2 noun

syn·​apse

ˈsin-ˌaps also sə-ˈnaps, chiefly British ˈsī-ˌnaps

1

: the place at which a nerve impulse passes from one neuron to another

2

: synapsis

synapse

2 of 2 intransitive verb

synapsed; synapsing

: to form a synapse or come together in synapsis