# Higgs

/ˈhɪɡz/ (US) · CEFR C2 · Noun

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/higgs
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Definition

a tiny particle that gives mass to other particles in the universe. Scientists found it in 2012, and it helps explain why things have weight.

For teachers: an elementary particle in the Standard Model of particle physics, produced by the quantum excitation of the Higgs field. It is responsible for giving mass to other fundamental particles through their interaction with this field.

## Examples

- Scientists used a giant machine to find the Higgs particle.
- The discovery of the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider confirmed a major theory about how the universe works.
- Physicists spent decades searching for the Higgs boson, as its existence was the final missing piece required to validate the mechanism by which gauge bosons acquire their mass.

## Usage notes

- Often used as a modifier in the phrase 'Higgs boson' or 'Higgs field'; almost always capitalised as it is named after physicist Peter Higgs.

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