voltage

noun

volt·​age ˈvōl-tij How to pronounce voltage (audio)
1
: electric potential or potential difference expressed in volts
2
: intensity of feeling

Examples of voltage in a Sentence

We measured the change in voltage across the circuit.
Recent Examples on the Web Compared to a standard liquid-solid TENG, the Changsha group’s device generated 3.5 times the voltage, 2.3 times the current, and 3.5 times the charge. IEEE Spectrum, 9 Apr. 2024 Russia recently aborted the launch of three astronauts, including NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson, about 20 seconds before liftoff due to a voltage drop in a power source. Passant Rabie / Gizmodo, Quartz, 23 Mar. 2024 This is not a voltage converter and should only be used with dual voltage devices. Jessica MacDonald, Travel + Leisure, 27 Feb. 2024 They’ll be stranded on the side of the road, or sit for hours charging at low voltage. Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 30 Mar. 2024 When a voltage is applied to a gate electrode, electrons can flow from one graphene electrode through the porphyrin molecule and into the other graphene electrode. IEEE Spectrum, 29 Mar. 2024 At rest, neurons keep their insides more negatively charged than their outside environment, maintaining a resting membrane voltage of about −70 millivolts. Quanta Magazine, 11 Mar. 2024 Clarke compares the tech to an e-book reader, where there are several million microcapsules in each E Ink film, with the structure and arrangement of the color particles changeable through applying an electric voltage. Nargess Banks, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Payne drew inspiration for the company’s name from Georg Simon Ohm, a 19th Century German physicist and mathematician whose research led to Ohm’s law, the relationship between voltage, current and resistance in an electrical circuit, and the ohm, the unit of electrical resistance. Georgann Yara, The Arizona Republic, 11 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'voltage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of voltage was in 1890

Dictionary Entries Near voltage

Cite this Entry

“Voltage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/voltage. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

voltage

noun
volt·​age ˈvōl-tij How to pronounce voltage (audio)
: potential difference measured in volts

Medical Definition

voltage

noun
volt·​age ˈvōl-tij How to pronounce voltage (audio)
: electrical potential or potential difference expressed in volts

More from Merriam-Webster on voltage

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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