van der Waals' forces

or van der Waals forces

plural noun

, Physical Chemistry.

1. weak, nonspecific forces between molecules.

van der Waals forces

plural noun

1. weak electrostatic forces between atoms and molecules caused by transient distortions in the distribution of electrons in the interacting atoms or molecules

Word History and Origins

Origin of van der Waals' forces¹

First recorded in 1925–30; van der Waals' equation