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synapse

The definition of a synapse is the junction between two neurons or nerve cells where there is a small gap that neurotransmitters help nerve impulses to cross.

(noun)

When a neuron releases a neurotransmitter which then binds to receptors located within the plasma membrane of a cell, initiating an electrical response or exciting or inhibiting the neuron, this is an example of a chemical synapse.

See synapse in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

the minute space between a nerve cell and another nerve cell, a muscle cell, etc., through which nerve impulses are transmitted from one to the other

Origin: ModL synapsis: see synapsis

See synapse in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

The junction across which a nerve impulse passes from an axon terminal to a neuron, muscle cell, or gland cell.

intransitive verb syn·apsed, syn·aps·ing, syn·aps·es