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.

Investors are cautious about new nuclear reactor investments due to high costs, preferring clear paths and risk mitigation.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

Reporter Martin Fackler, who said that entering post-storm Fukushima was “like entering hell,” breaks down, step by step, what occurs inside a nuclear reactor when power is lost and the fissionable material can’t be cooled.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

Five large coal plants and one nuclear reactor in New Jersey have shut down since 2017.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026

“Add a small scale nuclear reactor and the problem just got a little bit more complex.”

From MarketWatch • Jan. 17, 2026

But the possibility of a nuclear reactor losing every source of power at once had never seemed real, so no one had thought through solutions ahead of time.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland