rectifier

noun

rec·​ti·​fi·​er ˈrek-tə-ˌfī(-ə)r How to pronounce rectifier (audio)
: one that rectifies
specifically : a device for converting alternating current into direct current

Examples of rectifier in a Sentence

a tropical vacation is a surefire rectifier of the midwinter blues
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Putting the method to test The researchers applied their design approach to a class-EF WPT system, which combines a class-EF inverter with a class-D rectifier. Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 6 Aug. 2025 Finally, at the fourth stage, a high-frequency rectifier converts the high-frequency AC back to DC, and then sends it to the vehicle’s battery. Wally Rippel, IEEE Spectrum, 4 Mar. 2025 The Atlantic substation, which powers a section of the Fulton Line of the A and C trains, was already decommissioned once, in 2000, when its rectifier — a depression-era mercury-arc system — was deemed too old to continue safely functioning. Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 3 Nov. 2024 At the turn of the century, a group of rogue whiskey makers known as rectifiers were putting additives in spirits. Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, 4 June 2024 The antenna routes that energy into an electronic rectifier circuit, which in turn uses semiconductors to convert it into a direct-current (DC) voltage that can charge or power a device. Scientific American, 1 Dec. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1607, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rectifier was in 1607

Cite this Entry

“Rectifier.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rectifier. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.

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