How to Use nuclear reaction in a Sentence

nuclear reaction

noun
  • This refers to the point at which a nuclear reaction can sustain itself.
    — Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 16 Feb. 2026
  • Around this core is wrapped a layer of beryllium, which reflects the neutrons emitted by the core to cause the nuclear reaction.
    — David Szondy september 10, New Atlas, 10 Sep. 2025
  • While the evidence pointed to the rocks having already been part of a nuclear reaction, the scientists found this hard to believe.
    — New Atlas, 8 Jan. 2026
  • The team’s next steps include testing the new nuclear reaction measurement approach with other radionuclides.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 9 Jan. 2026
  • Uranium, the fuel used to make a nuclear reaction, is dominated by just four countries, including Russia.
    — Tasmin Lockwood, CNBC, 6 Dec. 2025
  • Po’s research could help unlock the same nuclear reaction that powers the Sun—fusion energy—a potential game-changer for clean, limitless power.
    — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 12 Nov. 2025
  • Criticality occurs when enough neutrons hit enough other fissile uranium atoms to create a self-sustaining nuclear reaction.
    — IEEE Spectrum, 1 June 2018
  • Gas flowing from the expanding red giant gradually accumulates on the white dwarf until conditions become extreme enough to ignite a runaway nuclear reaction.
    — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026
  • The nuclear reaction is self-regulating and cooling is largely passive, giving the system a significant inherent safety margin.
    — David Szondy february 21, New Atlas, 21 Feb. 2026
  • That has put a focus on Iran’s stockpile of uranium and its program to convert this naturally occurring element into material that can sustain a nuclear reaction — a process called enrichment.
    — Adithi Ramakrishnan, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2026
  • Understanding the fuel Larger nuclear power plants use fuel that is about 5% uranium-235, the element that splits in a nuclear reaction, releasing heat.
    — Leonel Lagos, The Conversation, 3 Dec. 2025
  • If the reactor core temperature rises, the fuel expands, automatically reducing the nuclear reaction rate.
    — David Szondy march 08, New Atlas, 8 Mar. 2026
  • The reactor also possesses a strong negative temperature coefficient, meaning the nuclear reaction naturally slows as temperatures rise, preventing a runaway event.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Following those verifications, the NRA issued its test-use approval early Wednesday afternoon, clearing the way for TEPCO to begin withdrawing control rods and initiating the nuclear reaction later in the day, Reuters reported.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 21 Jan. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nuclear reaction.' 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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