How to Use zirconium in a Sentence

zirconium

noun
  • Some have hard zirconium inserts, so the line doesn't wear a groove.
    — Bob Beacham, chicagotribune.com, 17 Oct. 2020
  • Once in its final form, the ceramic was placed in a bath of a molten mixture of copper and zirconium.
    — John Timmer, Ars Technica, 19 Oct. 2018
  • But at $160 per kilogram, zirconium is too expensive for bulk use.
    — Robert F. Service, Science | AAAS, 3 Sep. 2019
  • The perfect recipe for a solid-state battery could very well involve a dash of zirconium, or a sprinkle of vanadium.
    — Gregory Barber, Wired, 18 Jan. 2022
  • Specialized, weight-saving surf guides with zirconium rings and black frames wrangle braid and keep tangles to a minimum.
    — Alberto Knie, Field & Stream, 22 June 2023
  • Bone doesn't allow the ultrasonic sound waves through, but this special blend of yttrium and zirconium does.
    — Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 2 Aug. 2017
  • Some think that the ring isn't even real, and it is instead made up of cubic zirconium, a cheaper alternative to diamond.
    — Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, 5 Aug. 2021
  • In the accident, a zirconium plate in the reactor vessel became loose and blocked the sodium coolant, causing a small amount of fuel to melt.
    — Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 28 Mar. 2024
  • The metal being zirconium and the organic bit being carbon atoms.
    — Matt Simon, WIRED, 8 June 2018
  • The molten mixture filled the pores, and the zirconium reacted with the tungsten carbide, replacing the tungsten.
    — John Timmer, Ars Technica, 19 Oct. 2018
  • In some of the variations, the zirconium cladding is coated to minimize reactions.
    — Scientific American, 1 Dec. 2019
  • The 20% aluminum zirconium tetrachlorohydrex for sweat and odor protection is also key to stopping sweat at the source.
    — Sarah Madaus, Allure, 4 Oct. 2024
  • Zirconium is a corrosion-resistant metal that does not easily absorb neutrons, and is used as the cladding to protect fuel rods.
    — Teri Sforza, Orange County Register, 2 June 2017
  • These include the metal cobalt, as well as nickel, copper, manganese, niobium, zirconium and certain rare earth elements.
    — Hugh Cameron john Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Aug. 2025
  • These are aluminum chloride, aluminum zirconium and aluminum sesquichlorohydrate.
    — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 13 May 2026
  • The coating, made out of zirconium carbide, could solve a major problem in developing hypersonic aircraft.
    — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, 10 July 2017
  • Raw gold is typically muddied with other elements like silver, aluminum, or zirconium, and needs to be processed so that there are less than ten parts per million of other elements.
    — Hazlitt, 1 Mar. 2023
  • This causes the core to heat up even faster, and also causes a reaction with the zirconium cladding (which holds the uranium fuel pellets in place), generating hydrogen gas.
    — Daniel Holz, Discover Magazine, 17 Mar. 2011
  • The fuel pellets inside the fuel rods are almost entirely UO2 while the fuel rods in which the pellets are placed is made of zirconium alloys.
    — Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 18 Apr. 2013
  • This lightweight material comprises zirconium oxide and metallic oxides to produce the perfect green tint.
    — Cait Bazemore, Robb Report, 15 Mar. 2023
  • For starters, this stick-style antiperspirant uses aluminum zirconium tetrachlorohydrex to reduce underarm wetness for days on end.
    — Rachael Schultz, Verywell Health, 3 Mar. 2023
  • Dentatur uses high-quality materials such as E-max and zirconium to achieve a natural look that blends seamlessly with natural teeth.
    — K.h. Koehler, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026
  • Instead of the original’s zirconium oxide ceramic, the new watch’s case, chronograph pusher and pin buckle are made from Ceratanium.
    — Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 26 Feb. 2021
  • While fresh scents may help with the masking part, various types of aluminum, (namely aluminum chloride, aluminum zirconium and aluminium chlorohydrate) are in charge of the minimizing part.
    — Daryl Austin, USA TODAY, 1 Sep. 2023
  • The soil contains arsenic, antimony, copper, zirconium and other dangerous heavy metals, much of it residue from mining activity in the region.
    — New York Times, 7 June 2022
  • The mining project aims to extract titanium and zirconium from the land by removing the minerals and then replacing the soil to previous elevations and contours.
    — Hamza Shaban, Washington Post, 4 June 2022
  • The ergonomic properties of black zirconium oxide ceramic, which is light and comfortable to wear, are bested only by its stealthy appearance, sleek by definition.
    — Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 1 Apr. 2025
  • The zirconium tubing surrounding the fuel reacted with hot steam to produce hydrogen, which mixed with air and exploded, destroying the surrounding structures.
    — Victor Gilinsky, Foreign Affairs, 21 Mar. 2011
  • Egyptian glasses tended to have higher levels of lanthanum, zirconium and titanium, while Near Eastern glasses tended to have more chromium.
    — Carolyn Wilke, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Nov. 2021
  • The reaction converts the coating from zirconium sulfide into zirconium sulfate.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 13 Mar. 2026

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