transformer

noun

trans·​form·​er tran(t)s-ˈfȯr-mər 

: one that transforms

specifically : a device employing the principle of mutual induction to convert variations of current in a primary circuit into variations of voltage and current in a secondary circuit

Examples of transformer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Huddlestun said the delivery of five transformers for installation at the NIPSCO substation inside the 723-acre development at 61st and Colorado Street will occur between November 13-24. — Jim Masters, Chicago Tribune, 27 Oct. 2026

What really needed to happen was the transformer needed to come along. — Nilay Patel, The Verge, 26 Oct. 2026

For Europe, Ukraine’s collapse would create a security threat far greater than the cost of replacing transformers or financing fuel imports. — Tatiana Mitrova, Foreign Affairs, 23 Oct. 2026

Every transformer on the grid—from the cylinders perched on utility lines to the big spiky devices at substations—trades voltage for current at a fixed ratio. — Alex Pasternack, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1596, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing transformer

• Tesla transformer

Rhymes for transformer

• conformer
• informer
• performer
• reformer
• dormer
• former
• warmer

Kids Definition

transformer

noun

trans·​form·​er tran(t)s-ˈfȯr-mər 

: a device for changing an electric current into one of different voltage