Synonyms

magnetic field

American

noun

a region of space near a magnet, electric current, or moving charged particle in which a magnetic force acts on any other magnet, electric current, or moving charged particle.
magnetic intensity.

magnetic field British

noun

a field of force surrounding a permanent magnet or a moving charged particle, in which another permanent magnet or moving charge experiences a force Compare electric field

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

magnetic field Scientific

A field of force associated with changing electric fields, as when electric charges are in motion. Magnetic fields exert deflective forces on moving electric charges. Most magnets have magnetic fields as a result of the spinning motion of the electrons orbiting the atoms of which they are composed; electromagnets create such fields from electric current moving through coils. Large objects, such as the earth, other planets, and stars, also produce magnetic fields.
See Note at magnetism
See magnetic field strength

magnetic field Cultural

A magnetic field is said to exist in a region if a force can be exerted on a magnet. If a compass needle is deflected when it is put at a particular location, we say a magnetic field exists at that point, and the strength of the field is measured by the strength of the force of the compass needle. The Earth, the sun, and the Milky Way galaxy all have magnetic fields. All known magnetic fields are caused by the movement of electrical charges. Electrons in orbit in atoms give rise to magnetic fields, so that every atom is, like the Earth, surrounded by a magnetic field. (See magnet and magnetism.)

Etymology

Origin of magnetic field

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It occurs when an electric current flows through a material while a magnetic field is applied at a right angle.

From Science Daily

Scientists at the University of Oxford's Department of Earth Sciences have settled a decades long argument over the strength of the Moon's magnetic field.

From Science Daily

After analyzing 11 years of magnetic field data from the European Space Agency's Swarm satellite constellation, researchers have found that a large weak zone in Earth's magnetic field over the South Atlantic has grown dramatically.

From Science Daily

Now, Dr. Jo-Anne Brown, PhD, is focused on charting something we cannot see at all: the Milky Way's magnetic field.

From Science Daily

These observations provide the clearest picture yet of where Uranus's auroras take shape and how its unusually tilted magnetic field affects them.

From Science Daily

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023