noun

• 1A piece of iron or other material which has its component atoms so ordered that the material exhibits properties of magnetism, such as attracting other iron-containing objects or aligning itself in an external magnetic field.

  ‘Ferroelectric materials can create an electric field the way iron magnets create a magnetic field.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Understanding more complex substances is the key to designing materials for stronger magnets in order to build more efficient and powerful electrical generators and motors.’
  • ‘Iron, cobalt and nickel are the best known metallic magnets, and their magnetic properties are governed by the conduction electrons that are free to move throughout the metal.’
  • ‘The bar magnet gets its overall magnetization because all of these little component magnets are pointing in the same direction, and add up for an overall effect.’
  • ‘When you picked up the clip with the magnet the clip was accelerated toward the magnet acquiring kinetic energy.’
  • ‘At a synchrotron radiation source, electrons emit radiation as they are guided by magnets around a storage ring.’
  • ‘The spinning protons in the hydrogen nuclei act like tiny magnets and align their spins with or against the magnetic field.’
  • ‘A magnet cannot attract iron, when deeply embedded in mud.’
  • ‘Motors, relays, generators, or simply other magnets or magnetic materials, can all also cause the pointer to move, overpowering the Earth's magnetism.’
  • ‘Samarium-cobalt magnets retain their magnetic properties at high temperatures and are not very reactive.’
  • ‘When a paramagnetic material is placed in a strong magnetic field, it becomes a magnet, and as long as the strong magnetic field is present, it will attract and repel other magnets in the usual way.’
  • ‘If you have a mixture of salt and tiny pieces of iron, you could use a magnet to separate the iron from the mixture.’
  • ‘The main component of the Sun's magnetic field is similar to a bar magnet, with a positive pole and a negative pole.’
  • ‘Now water contains hydrogen atoms, and the nucleus of a hydrogen atom is a tiny magnet.’
  • ‘A spinning superconductor acts like a very weak magnet, with the poles of the magnet precisely aligned with the axis of the spin.’
  • ‘You effectively have a tiny current going around, and when you have a current like that you have a magnetic field - the electron becomes a tiny magnet.’
  • ‘Some of the bottles are equipped with external magnets by which a viewer can manipulate the trapped shapes.’
  • ‘To complete the magnet, the coils were encased in an iron yoke then wrapped in a 40-millimeter-thick aluminum shell.’
  • ‘Three workers, migrants from rural areas, are retrieving waste iron using a magnet on the end of a bamboo pole.’
  • ‘Hutter spinels are strongly magnetic and can be separated from crushed samples of the rock with a hand magnet.’

  Synonyms

  lodestone, magnetite

  View synonyms

  1. 1.1A person or thing that has a powerful attraction.
     ‘the beautiful stretch of white sand is a magnet for sun-worshippers’
     More example sentences

     • ‘Mansion House was a magnet for the powerful, both native and foreign.’
     • ‘The Italian city of marble and water is a magnet for art-lovers, but culture is not the only attraction.’
     • ‘Over the last few years the Manx isle has become a magnet for top movie producers, who are lured by a variety of landscapes in a compact area and by the financial incentives laid on by the Isle of Man Film Commission.’
     • ‘However, for the organisers, contestants like Laura and those like her are a Godsend, because to say that beauty pageants are a magnet for criticism is an understatement.’
     • ‘But if you know your daredevil friend is a magnet for trouble and you're still drawn to her, it's time to put yourself in check.’
     • ‘Up ahead was a topping of pine trees and somewhere in this was Highcliff Nab, a great nose of sandstone which is a focus for paths and a magnet for travellers.’
     • ‘For several years, the powerful lights that shine from this hotel have been a magnet for plankton, which in turn attracts the manta rays from nearby deep water.’
     • ‘Painted lady and red admiral butterflies, both of which migrated here in early summer, have produced abundant new broods and buddleia blossom is a magnet for their dazzling displays.’
     • ‘Last year concerts took place over 10 weekends, acting as a magnet for music lovers from the region itself and much further afield.’
     • ‘But the empty buildings on Bramham Avenue are claimed to be a magnet for drink and drug-fuelled graffiti, vandalism and anti-social behaviour.’
     • ‘Dartford Council is mounting a three-pronged attack to make Dartford town centre a magnet for shoppers and a realistic option for top retailers to bring a full range of goods and services.’
     • ‘Movies have long been a magnet for scrutiny, hysteria or moral panics, though obviously television now draws much of that dubious attention.’
     • ‘The business boomed as the brothers' reputation for their racetrack achievements grew the family business rapidly becoming a magnet for the motorcycling community.’
     • ‘She allowed her sheltered flat to become a den for drug-taking and drinking, and a magnet for criminals - and yesterday she narrowly avoided eviction.’
     • ‘Home to exquisite beaches, blistering sunshine and the second largest coral reef in the world, Cozumel is also a magnet for serious sun-worshippers and scuba divers.’
     • ‘Because of its trendy college and relatively liberal cadres of lawyers and civil servants, Austin became a magnet for nonconformists.’
     • ‘But it was the 1,000m world record holder's reaction to the victory that served as a magnet for the cameras - he broke down in tears.’
     • ‘Police prepared spreadsheets of crime in the area which, they said, proved the pub was a magnet for trouble, particularly late at night, and the problems were increasing.’
     • ‘The stunning scenery is probably the main reason why it's such a magnet for visitors - the view of the hills is superb, with Ben Vrackie dominating everything around.’
     • ‘Benin City's museum might have been a magnet attracting important pieces in local private hands.’
     Synonyms

     attraction, focus, focal point, enticement, pull, crowd-pleaser, draw, lure, allurement, temptation, invitation, fascination

     View synonyms
  2. 1.2
     archaic term for lodestone