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.

In October, the companies announced a deal to restart a NextEra nuclear reactor in Iowa that closed in 2020 following wind damage to a cooling tower.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026

The strikes included attacks very close to Iran’s Bushehr nuclear reactor.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026

These grants, the second announced so far, are targeted at small nuclear reactor projects, and the government will pay for 50%.

From Barron's • May 15, 2026

Will Summerlin at Autopilot Ventures buys the builders, including data-center contractors, optical interconnect startups and small modular nuclear reactor companies.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 30, 2026

The challenge of running a nuclear reactor lies in keeping the number of bouncing neutrons inside it steady.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland