cardioverter

noun

car·​dio·​ver·​ter ˈkär-dē-ō-ˌvər-tər 

: a medical device for the administration of an electric shock in cardioversion

The cardioverter, which is fully automatic, weighs but 90 g and is inserted like a permanent pacemaker.

—John Maurice

The silver-colored, pager-size device, called an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, can speed up a slow heart and slow a racing heartbeat.

—Susan Page

Examples of cardioverter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There are implantable cardioverter defibrillators that can shock a heart back to normal within eight to 10 seconds. — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 14 Aug. 2024

Bouwmeester had an implantable cardioverter defibrillator procedure to restore his heart's normal rhythm. — Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press, 3 Jan. 2023

That can change if a patient has an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, or ICD, which shocks the heart back to beating normally. — Ciara McCarthy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Jan. 2026

Fainting was the most common event, and one athlete received a shock with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, or ICD. — Jacqueline Howard, CNN, 6 Mar. 2023

He was resuscitated on the pitch back then in Copenhagen and made a full recovery, returning to the sport after having an implantable cardioverter defibrillator fitted. — Ben Church, CNN Money, 8 June 2026

The 18-year-old had a subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator implanted to prevent his heart from stopping, according to the university. — Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 16 Oct. 2025

Shortly thereafter, a cardioverter defibrillator product reported a vulnerability, which resulted in a data breach that affected over 1 million individuals. — Christian Espinosa, Forbes, 26 Nov. 2024

For weeks leading up to the execution, Black’s attorneys fought to have his implantable cardioverter defibrillator — a medical device meant to shock the heart when its rhythm becomes irregular — deactivated, per The Washington Post. — Christina Coulter, People.com, 5 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1983, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cardioverter

• converter
• diverter
• divertor
• inverter
• reverter

Medical Definition

cardioverter

noun

car·​dio·​ver·​ter ˈkärd-ē-ō-ˌvərt-ər 

: a device for the administration of an electric shock in cardioversion