Illustration of neuron
- 1 cell body
- 2 dendrite
- 3 axon
- 4 nerve ending
: a grayish or reddish granular cell that is the fundamental functional unit of nervous tissue transmitting and receiving nerve impulses and having cytoplasmic processes which are highly differentiated frequently as multiple dendrites or usually as solitary axons which conduct impulses to and away from the cell body : nerve cell sense 1
Examples of neuron in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Following the fear conditioning experiment, the team compared the neurons in their amygdalae.
—
William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
By way of explanation, neurons communicate through electrical currents called action potentials, which can be excitatory or inhibitory.
—New Atlas, 15 Oct. 2024
In the McCulloch-Pitts model, a neuron is connected to its neighboring neurons and can receive signals from them.
—Ambuj Tewari, Discover Magazine, 11 Oct. 2024
Whereas a brain has neurons, an artificial neural network has nodes with different values.
—Christian Edwards, CNN, 8 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for neuron 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
By way of explanation, neurons communicate through electrical currents called action potentials, which can be excitatory or inhibitory.
—New Atlas, 15 Oct. 2024
In the McCulloch-Pitts model, a neuron is connected to its neighboring neurons and can receive signals from them.
—Ambuj Tewari, Discover Magazine, 11 Oct. 2024
Whereas a brain has neurons, an artificial neural network has nodes with different values.
—Christian Edwards, CNN, 8 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for neuron
Dictionary Entries Near neuron
Cite this Entry
“Neuron.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neuron. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
neuron
noun
neu·ron
ˈn(y)ü-ˌrän 
ˈn(y)u̇(ə)r- ˌän
ˈn(y)u̇(ə)r- ˌän
: a grayish or reddish cell that is the basic working unit of the nervous system and has an axon and dendrites that carry nerve impulses
Medical Definition
neuron
noun
neu·ron
ˈn(y)ü-ˌrän
ˈn(y)u̇(ə)r-ˌän
ˈn(y)u̇(ə)r-ˌän
variants
also neurone
: one of the cells that constitute nervous tissue, that have the property of transmitting and receiving nerve impulses, and that are composed of somewhat reddish or grayish protoplasm with a large nucleus containing a conspicuous nucleolus, irregular cytoplasmic granules, and cytoplasmic processes which are highly differentiated frequently as multiple dendrites or usually as solitary axons and which conduct impulses toward and away from the cell body : nerve cell sense 1
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share