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alloy

noun · verb

Simple meaning

A metal that is a combination of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal, a base metal.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

aloy

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IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈælɔɪ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. A metal that is a combination of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal, a base metal.

  2. An admixture; something added which stains, taints etc.

  3. figurative

    Fusion, marriage, combination.

verb

  1. To mix or combine; often used of metals.

  2. To reduce the purity of by mixing with a less valuable substance.

  3. figurative

    To impair or debase by mixture.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
General and technical use

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A metal that is a combination of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal, a base metal.

Used this way, alloy is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use alloy

  • “Brass is an alloy of zinc and copper.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Mixture

titanium alloynickel alloyaluminum alloyaluminium alloy

Reduce

low alloy

Make

alloy steel

Other combinations

magnesium alloycopper alloy

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • alloy cast ironnounCompound term

    Cast iron containing alloying elements (usually nickel or chromium or copper or molybdenum) to increase the strength or facilitate heat treatment.

  • alloy ironnounCompound term

    Cast iron containing alloying elements (usually nickel or chromium or copper or molybdenum) to increase the strength or facilitate heat treatment.

  • alloy steelnounCompound term

    Steel who characteristics are determined by the addition of other elements in addition to carbon.

  • copper-base alloynounCompound term

    Any alloy whose principal component is copper.

  • nickel-base alloynounCompound term

    An alloy whose main constituent is nickel.

  • nickel alloynounCompound term

    An alloy whose main constituent is nickel.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.