momentum
Americannoun
plural
momenta, momentums-
force or speed of movement; impetus, as of a physical object or course of events.
The car gained momentum going downhill. Her career lost momentum after two unsuccessful films.
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Also called linear momentum. Mechanics. a quantity expressing the motion of a body or system, equal to the product of the mass of a body and its velocity, and for a system equal to the vector sum of the products of mass and velocity of each particle in the system.
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Philosophy. moment.
noun
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p. physics the product of a body's mass and its velocity See also angular momentum
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the impetus of a body resulting from its motion
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driving power or strength
plural
momenta-
A vector quantity that expresses the relation of the velocity of a body, wave, field, or other physical system, to its energy. The direction of the momentum of a single object indicates the direction of its motion. Momentum is a conserved quantity (it remains constant unless acted upon by an outside force), and is related by Noether's theorem to translational invariance. In classical mechanics, momentum is defined as mass times velocity. The theory of Special Relativity uses the concept of relativistic mass. The momentum of photons, which are massless, is equal to their energy divided by the speed of light. In quantum mechanics, momentum more generally refers to a mathematical operator applied to the wave equation describing a physical system and corresponding to an observable; solutions to the equation using this operator provide the vector quantity traditionally called momentum. In all of these applications, momentum is sometimes called linear momentum.
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See also angular momentum impulse
Discover More
Figuratively, momentum can refer to the tendency of a person or group to repeat recent success: “The Bears definitely have momentum after scoring those last two touchdowns.”
Etymology
Origin of momentum
First recorded in 1690–1700; from Latin mōmentum; moment
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.
South Korea wasn’t the only popular retail-driven momentum play to hit the skids on Tuesday.
From MarketWatch
But overcoming that fear and engaging in collective action will build momentum, and a type of muscle memory, where the new rule becomes action and not inaction.
From Salon
"He's got potentially the best kicking game in our league and one of the best in the world in relieving a load of pressure when needs be, who gets the game and understands momentum."
From BBC
“Nivea’s momentum did not accelerate as much as the market wanted to see – even with launches during the period,” analysts at RBC Capital Markets wrote in a note.
Greater spending on defense, especially in Europe, should keep up momentum in demand for Thales’s defense systems, the company said, adding that it would invest to expand its production capacity.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
