pixel

noun

pix·el | \ ˈpik-səl

, -ˌsel\

plural pixels

Definition of pixel

1 : any of the small discrete elements that together constitute an image (as on a television or digital screen) If the ball is flying from left to right across a video screen, a pixel at one fixed location on the screen will get darker and darker as time ticks on because it depicts points farther and farther to the left on the ball.— Frédo Durand et al.

2 : any of the detecting elements of a solid-state optical sensor (such as a CCD or CMOS device) The team used a new CCD detector that has an 8,192 by 8,192 pixel array, which makes it the world's largest astronomical CCD. — Astronomy the … CMOS image sensor provides a 9-µm pixel size …— Mathew Dirjish

Examples of pixel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And Moschino partnered with the Sims video game on a collaborative collection unveiled at Coachella in April that included everything from iPhone cases, jewelry and handbags to apparel and swimwear with pixel-like patterns. — Lindsay Weinberg, The Hollywood Reporter, "Prada and Moschino Bring 'Frankenstein,' 'Dynasty' to Life in Campaigns," 8 July 2019 Facebook and Google’s snooping pixels operate across nearly all news sites, most shopping sites, and beyond. — Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, "The Move to Reclaim Privacy," 18 June 2019 Past performances have blended theater, artistry, gymnastics and thousands of people acting as human pixels flipping colorful cards to reveal images. — Joshua Berlinger, CNN, "North Korea's famed Mass Games put on pause after Kim Jong Un criticism," 5 June 2019 The Pixel 3 already has excellent battery life, so with fewer pixels to push and a less intensive processor, the 3a should easily power through a day. — Michael Simon, PCWorld, "6 Pixel 3a features that may sway you from buying a thousand-dollar flagship," 7 May 2019 But Lil Miquela is made of pixels, and she was designed to attract follows and likes. — New York Times, "These Influencers Aren’t Flesh and Blood, Yet Millions Follow Them," 17 June 2019 At a range of 200 meters, a car might be represented by only a handful of pixels—too few to identify it as a car based on its shape. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "Two self-driving startups team up to build a different kind of lidar," 28 May 2019 Instead of powering every millimeter of your display—which is one of your phone’s most powerful battery sucks—dark mode keeps most of the pixels switched off. — David Pierce, WSJ, "Every Gadget and App Should Have a Dark Mode," 20 Jan. 2019 The flights collect the spectral signature of every pixel, each a mixture of 427 colors. — Paul Tullis, New York Times, "To Map a Coral Reef, Peel Back the Seawater," 10 June 2019

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