plural quanta
ˈkwän-tə 
1
: large, significant
a quantum improvement
2
: of, relating to, or employing the principles of quantum mechanics
quantum physics
Synonyms
Examples of quantum in a Sentence
Noun
the sum of human knowledge is now so immense that even a highly educated person can hope to absorb only a tiny quantum of it
Recent Examples on the Web
Ars Technica, 31 Jan. 2025
This places important limits on the precision with which certain quantum properties can be known.
—The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 31 Jan. 2025
Ben Brubaker, WIRED, 2 Feb. 2025
These use the quantum properties of electrons to measure changes in an external magnetic field.
—The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 31 Jan. 2025
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Noun
This could help enormously with quantum error correction, one of the biggest obstacles in quantum computing, because there is more room for error in the binary code.
—Ars Technica, 31 Jan. 2025
This places important limits on the precision with which certain quantum properties can be known.
—The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 31 Jan. 2025
Adjective
In 1994, the applied mathematician Peter Shor was inspired by a recent oracle result to develop a fast quantum algorithm for factoring large numbers—a task whose apparent difficulty underlies the cryptographic systems that keep our online data secure.
—Ben Brubaker, WIRED, 2 Feb. 2025
These use the quantum properties of electrons to measure changes in an external magnetic field.
—The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 31 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for quantum
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Cite this Entry
“Quantum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quantum. Accessed 13 Feb. 2025.
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Medical Definition
quantum
noun
quan·tum
ˈkwänt-əm
plural quanta
ˈkwänt-ə
1
: one of the very small increments or parcels into which many forms of energy are subdivided
a molecule of rhodopsin in the human eye can cause a response to a single quantum of light
2
: one of the small molecular packets of a neurotransmitter (as acetylcholine) released into the synaptic cleft in the transmission of a nerve impulse across a synapse
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