weak force

noun

: a fundamental physical force that governs interactions between hadrons and leptons (as in the emission and absorption of neutrinos) and is responsible for particle decay processes (such as beta decay) in radioactivity, that is 10^-5 times the strength of the strong force, and that acts over distances smaller than those between nucleons in an atomic nucleus

called also weak interaction, weak nuclear force

compare electromagnetism sense 2a, gravity sense 3a(2), strong force

Examples of weak force in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In the early years of the war, with the Allies retreating in multiple theaters, the first priority was defense, making weak forces look strong to dissuade the enemy from attacking. —Robert Hutton, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Sep. 2024

Their efforts have led to the Standard Model of particle physics, which describes the most fundamental ingredients of matter (leptons and quarks) and the forces that control them (the electromagnetic, strong and weak forces). —Daniel Garisto, Scientific American, 13 Dec. 2023

The neutral charge is important because gravity is a weak force. —Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 27 Sep. 2023

Gravity is such a weak force that even the best experiments already have a lot of jiggle in them. —Thomas Lewton, Quanta Magazine, 10 July 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1968, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

weak force

noun

: a fundamental force experienced by elementary particles that causes some forms of radioactivity and also causes some types of particles to break down into other particles