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so·le·noid | \ ˈsō-lə-ˌnȯid 
, ˈsä- \
, ˈsä- \Definition of solenoid
: a coil of wire usually in cylindrical form that when carrying a current acts like a magnet so that a movable core is drawn into the coil when a current flows and that is used especially as a switch or control for a mechanical device (such as a valve)
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Other Words from solenoid
solenoidal \ ˌsō-lə-ˈnȯi-dᵊl , ˌsä- \ adjective
, ˌsä- \ adjectiveExamples of solenoid in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web If the brake light switch is out of adjustment, pressing the pedal will not release the shift-lock solenoid on the shifter mechanism.
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Bob Weber, chicagotribune.com, "Father still knows best, even with newfangled transmissions," 17 June 2017 Ice-crusher solenoid: An electromagnetic coil that controls the ice crusher.
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Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, "This Is What a Refrigerator Looks Like When You Take It Apart," 2 Mar. 2015 Ice-crusher plunger: Pulled in by the ice-crusher solenoid, the plunger assists in dispensing crushed or cubed ice.
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Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, "This Is What a Refrigerator Looks Like When You Take It Apart," 2 Mar. 2015 Tough for a human, but easy for a machine like the one Rober built, with a sensor to spot the light, and a solenoid to press the button with millisecond accuracy.
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Eric Limer, Popular Mechanics, "Cheating at This Arcade Game Reveals How It's Actually a Scam," 4 Jan. 2018 How can this be good for the longevity of the starting components: battery, starter, solenoid, flywheel, etc.?
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Ray Magliozzi, The Seattle Times, "Start-stop feature is aggravating but good for mileage," 5 Sep. 2017 By moving the focus of the laser and making repeated bends, the authors managed to make solenoids, springs, and more complicated knots.
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John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Researchers use lasers to weld spider silk to kevlar," 16 Aug. 2017 The mechanic assisted the pilots in starting the engine with auxiliary power and found that the battery had a charge but that the starter solenoid ‘didn’t click like it should’ and was not engaging the starter.
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Jesse Paul, The Denver Post, "NTSB unable to determine why plane had “total loss of engine power” in crash near Kersey that killed two," 18 May 2017 His father is the vice president for sales at Magnatrol Valve Corporation, a maker of bronze and stainless-steel solenoid valves in Hawthorne, N.J.
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New York Times, "Kathryn Leech, Matthew Kretschmer," 14 May 2017
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'solenoid.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Time Traveler for solenoid
The first known use of solenoid was in 1827
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