Synonyms

rare earth

American

noun

Chemistry.

the oxide of any of the rare-earth elements contained in various minerals.

rare earth British

noun

any oxide of a lanthanide
Also called: rare-earth element. another name for lanthanide

"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

Etymology

Origin of rare earth

First recorded in 1875–80

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.

The rare earth producer’s operating license is due to expire Monday and a renewal has not yet been received.

From The Wall Street Journal

Lin characterized the overnight comments from Beijing as a warning about Section 301 action against critical sectors like electric vehicles, rare earths, or artificial-intelligence chips.

From Barron's

MP Materials MP 2.28%increase; green up pointing triangle posted lower revenue following its decision to cease rare earth sales to China as part of its agreement with the U.S. government.

From The Wall Street Journal

“We are advancing key objectives under our public-private partnership with the Department of War and accelerating America’s rare earth and magnet independence with an uncompromising focus on speed, execution, and delivery.”

From Barron's

Ebitda is expected to improve significantly with limited sales growth because MP is shifting from selling intermediate product to higher-value rare earth materials.

From Barron's

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