nuclear reactor

[noo-klee-er ree-ak-ter, nyoo-] / ˈnu kli ər riˈæk tər, ˈnyu- /

NOUN

atomic reactor

Synonyms

STRONGEST

reactor

WEAK

atomic furnace atomic pile atomic power plant atomic reactor breeder reactor chain reactor core reactor fast breeder reactor neutron factory nuclear furnace nuclear power plant pile plutonium reactor reactor pile thermonuclear reactor uranium reactor

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A gigawatt is roughly equivalent to the power generated by a nuclear reactor.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 27, 2026

She sat alongside a nuclear reactor during a flight with Energy Secretary Chris Wright; she still isn’t quite sure she understands what a nuclear reactor is.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

China now has 38 nuclear reactor units under construction and is on schedule to exceed the U.S. capacity by 2030.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 17, 2026

Holtec also has a design for its own small nuclear reactor, and is attempting to get approval to place two of the small reactors at the Palisades site.

From Barron's • Feb. 9, 2026

Lawrence’s campaign to add a nuclear reactor to Berkeley’s arsenal of atom-smashing technologies dated back to his wartime effort to wrest Enrico Fermi’s nuclear pile away from Arthur Compton and the University of Chicago.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik