cochlear implant

noun

|Updated on: 9 Aug 2018

Definition of cochlear implant

: an electronic prosthetic device that enables individuals with sensorineural hearing loss to recognize some sounds and consists of an external microphone and speech processor and one or more electrodes implanted in the cochlea

Recent Examples of cochlear implant from the Web

Their search led them to a little device that could change their daughter’s life: a cochlear implant.

— caitlyn richard, Fox News, "Texas parents witness 'miracle moment' toddler's face lights up as doctors turn on cochlear devices," 28 June 2018
Ayla was born deaf, but she has just been fitted with cochlear implants, which enable her to hear.

— blake bakkila, Health.com, "You Have to See the Viral Video of a Mom Watching Her Baby Hear for the First Time," 2 July 2018
Anna Esler and her husband had known from the beginning that their 1-year-old daughter, Ayla, was deaf and that a cochlear implant could help her hear.

— lindsey bever, Washington Post, "A 1-year-old heard sound for the first time, and her mother broke down in tears," 2 July 2018
Christy said that Charlotte will also be receiving cochlear implants this summer, which should assist her hearing even more.

— eileen reslen, Good Housekeeping, "Mom Gives an Exciting Update on Her Baby With Hearing Loss Who Went Viral Last Year," 15 June 2018
Since the mid-1980s, the cochlear implant has been the main device that the deaf and severely hard of hearing use to connect with the auditory world.

— kate keller, Smithsonian, "Could This Futuristic Vest Give Us a Sixth Sense?," 21 Apr. 2018
The technology connects into a venue’s sound system and allows a hearing aid or cochlear implant to pick up its wireless signal.

— georgann yara, azcentral, "OTOjOY’s work, success is music to the ears of those with hearing loss," 16 May 2018
In principle, the heat from a human body can generate enough electricity to power wireless health monitors, cochlear implants, and deep-brain stimulators to treat disorders such as Parkinson’s disease.

— charles q. choi, The Atlantic, "Your Heartbeat Could Power a Smartphone," 12 Apr. 2018
Jessica Queener works in special education and wears a cochlear implant to help her with her hearing loss.

— Fox News, "The Latest: 2,500 attend public viewing for Barbara Bush," 20 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cochlear implant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of cochlear implant

1967

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Medical Dictionary

cochlear implant

noun

medical Definition of cochlear implant

: an electrical prosthetic device that enables individuals with sensorineural hearing loss to recognize some sounds and that consists of an external microphone and speech processor that receive and convert sound waves into electrical signals which are transmitted to one or more electrodes implanted in the cochlea where they stimulate the auditory nerve

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