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action potential
noun
: a momentary reversal in electrical potential across a plasma membrane (as of a neuron or muscle fiber) that occurs when a cell has been activated by a stimulus
Examples of action potential in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That hindered Miami’s play action potential, which led to Gesicki’s snap count being limited.
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Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 19 June 2024
Heimburg, now 58, is seeking funding for what could be the most critical experiment of all: measuring the heat as a nerve pulse, or action potential, passes by.
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Douglas Fox, Scientific American, 1 Apr. 2018
The signals then travel to a region called the insula, which acts as a kind of sensor: The fuller the bladder becomes, the more neurons in the insula fire off tiny electrical pulses called action potentials.
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Emily Underwood, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 June 2024
When neurons fire, action potentials – brief, high-voltage spikes traveling outward from their cell bodies – set up local electrical activity in other neurons, causing current to flow within and outside them.
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Giridhar Kalamangalam, Discover Magazine, 4 Apr. 2024
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'action potential.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1913, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near action potential
Cite this Entry
“Action potential.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/action%20potential. Accessed 20 Aug. 2024.
Medical Definition
action potential
noun
: a momentary reversal in the potential difference across a plasma membrane (as of a nerve cell or muscle fiber) that occurs when a cell has been activated by a stimulus
called also spike potential
compare resting potential see afterpotential, generator potential, prepotentialMore from Merriam-Webster on action potential
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about action potential
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