semiconductor

noun

semi·​con·​duc·​tor ˌse-mē-kən-ˈdək-tər 

ˌse-ˌmī-, 

-mi-

: any of a class of solids (such as germanium or silicon) whose electrical conductivity is between that of a conductor and that of an insulator in being nearly as great as that of a metal at high temperatures and nearly absent at low temperatures

Did you know?

A semiconductor is a crystal material whose ability to conduct electricity rises as its temperature goes up. That is, it sometimes acts as a conductor and sometimes as an insulator. Its conducting ability can be much increased by chemical treatment. A manufactured chip of silicon, less than half an inch square, may contain millions of microscopic transistors, which can serve control and memory functions when installed in a computer, automobile, cell phone, DVD player, or microwave oven.

Examples of semiconductor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As tech giants from Google and OpenAI to Microsoft rush to build data centers powered by graphics processing units designed by Nvidia and AMD, Taiwanese companies have been at the forefront, manufacturing the semiconductors and servers essential for training AI models. —John Liu, CNN Money, 28 Nov. 2025

Several analysts have upgraded their outlook on Baidu’s stock over the past few weeks, citing the semiconductor business and forecasting the unit will gain more domestic orders. —Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 28 Nov. 2025

Chip giant Nvidia has delivered major profits selling the semiconductors behind AI, becoming the most valuable company in the world by market capitalization. —Max Zahn, ABC News, 28 Nov. 2025

That recalls past over-spending in sectors from bike-sharing to semiconductors, many of which ended in shakeups that eradicated smaller players. —Bloomberg, Fortune, 28 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for semiconductor

• superconductor
• abductor
• conductor
• constructor
• destructor
• inductor
• instructor

Kids Definition

semiconductor

noun

semi·​con·​duc·​tor ˌsem-i-kən-ˈdək-tər 

ˌsem-ˌī-

: any of a class of solids (as germanium) that have an ability to conduct electricity between that of a conductor and that of an insulator

semiconducting

-tiŋ

adjective

Medical Definition

semiconductor

noun

semi·​con·​duc·​tor -kən-ˈdək-tər 

: any of a class of solids (as germanium or silicon) whose electrical conductivity is between that of a conductor and that of an insulator in being nearly as great as that of a metal at high temperatures and nearly absent at low temperatures