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
Instead, each neuron has a particular receptive field, which is the location and pattern a visual stimulus must have in order to make that neuron fire.
—
Geoffrey Boynton, Discover Magazine, 8 Aug. 2024
Glutamate is the most abundant neurotransmitter in the brain and helps neurons communicate with each other.
—Bruce Gil, Quartz, 22 July 2024
There are also some GLP-1 receptors in neurons, as well as in astrocytes, which are [brain] cells that control the extent of inflammation.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 19 July 2024
Consciousness in neuromorphic computers Computer scientists are actively developing neuromorphic computer chips that evade the processing restrictions of Von Neumann computers by approximating the architecture of neurons.
—Lindsey Laughlin, Ars Technica, 10 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for neuron 
Geoffrey Boynton, Discover Magazine, 8 Aug. 2024
Glutamate is the most abundant neurotransmitter in the brain and helps neurons communicate with each other.
—Bruce Gil, Quartz, 22 July 2024
There are also some GLP-1 receptors in neurons, as well as in astrocytes, which are [brain] cells that control the extent of inflammation.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 19 July 2024
Consciousness in neuromorphic computers Computer scientists are actively developing neuromorphic computer chips that evade the processing restrictions of Von Neumann computers by approximating the architecture of neurons.
—Lindsey Laughlin, Ars Technica, 10 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for neuron
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Cite this Entry
“Neuron.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neuron. Accessed 19 Aug. 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
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