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
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Proximity to individual neurons, as Paradromics’ Connexus has, is considered key for high-quality, high-resolution signals that aid in speech in particular.
—
Michael Barclay, Quartz, 2 June 2025
Activating these receptors has an excitatory effect on neurons, but xenon tamps down NMDA activity.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 29 May 2025
Right now, though, scientists can’t replace even a single real neuron with an artificial one.
—Dobromir Rahnev, The Conversation, 23 May 2025
These neurons are responsible for converting the image on the retina at the back of the eye into electrical signals for the brain.
—Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 May 2025
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Michael Barclay, Quartz, 2 June 2025
Activating these receptors has an excitatory effect on neurons, but xenon tamps down NMDA activity.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 29 May 2025
Right now, though, scientists can’t replace even a single real neuron with an artificial one.
—Dobromir Rahnev, The Conversation, 23 May 2025
These neurons are responsible for converting the image on the retina at the back of the eye into electrical signals for the brain.
—Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for neuron
Cite this Entry
“Neuron.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neuron. Accessed 11 Jun. 2025.
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
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