tunneling

American  

[tuhn-uhl-ing] / ˈtʌn əl ɪŋ /

noun

plural

tunnelings

1. the act or process of creating a tunnel.

2. Physics. in quantum mechanics, the phenomenon in which a particle passes through a potential barrier that it would not be able to cross under classical physics; the probability of tunneling depends on the thickness of the barrier and the energy of the particle.

---

tunneling Scientific  

/ tŭn′ə-lĭng /

1. See quantum tunneling

---

Other Word Forms

• anti-tunneling adjective
• cotunneling noun
• non-tunneling adjective

Example Sentences

Surfshark supports split tunneling on Windows, Android and macOS, but lacks the same level of granular control across all platforms.

From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026

But after some residents of Mid-City expressed concerns about potential settlement damage and vibration to historic homes, Metro directed staff to conduct extensive, peer-reviewed study exploring tunneling under historic communities.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

The last thing I remember is my vision tunneling as we descended a gentle slope.

From Salon • Mar. 9, 2026

In addition to SpaceX, xAI and Tesla, Musk has leadership roles at the Boring Company, a tunneling company, and Neuralink, which is developing brain-chip interfaces.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 29, 2026

The digging was easy and although they often broke off to feed or merely to sit in the sun, before midday Hazel was out of sight and tunneling between the tree roots.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams