transistor

noun

tran·sis·tor | \ tran-ˈzi-stər

, tran(t)-ˈsi- \

Definition of transistor

1 : a solid-state electronic device that is used to control the flow of electricity in electronic equipment and usually consists of a small block of a semiconductor (such as germanium) with at least three electrodes

2 : a transistorized radio

Examples of transistor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Semiconductors are typically categorized by the distance between each transistor on the chip, measured in nanometers (nm). — Eamon Barrett, Fortune, "How will chipmaker TSMC spend $100 billion in 3 years? Easy," 1 Apr. 2021 The smaller the transistor, the more dense the chip. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "10nm? 7nm? Who cares? Intel may be trying to ditch chip technology definitions," 30 Mar. 2021 The tunneling transistor’s high sensitivity very quickly and effectively identifies a terahertz signal. — Gary Fowler, Forbes, "Quantum Tunneling Opens New Paths Of Exploration In Wireless Communications," 17 Mar. 2021 The highest transistor densities are about 100 million per square millimeter. — Carol Handwerker, The Conversation, "A global semiconductor shortage highlights a troubling trend: A small and shrinking number of the world’s computer chips are made in the US," 9 Mar. 2021 This product delivered better performance, reliability and energy efficiency and became the dominant transistor for the next 60 years. — Jim Witham, Forbes, "Unique Challenges B2B Tech Companies Face In Moving From Early Adopters To The Mainstream," 24 Feb. 2021 Intel’s recent Intel Architecture Day revealed one reason why Tiger Lake represents a greater-than-generational leap in performance: its SuperFIN transistor. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Intel launches 11th-gen Tiger Lake CPUs, with blazing-fast clock speeds," 4 Sep. 2020 In interviews, Powell likened street photography to his ever-present transistor radio. — Max Lakin, Vulture, "Ricky Powell Was the Eyes of New York City," 4 Feb. 2021 Intel says overall app performance will jump by about 20 percent, in part thanks to 10nm SuperFIN transistor technology. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "The Tiger Lake vPro line is Intel's next bid for business PCs," 11 Jan. 2021

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

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Last Updated

9 Apr 2021

Cite this Entry

“Transistor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transistor. Accessed 12 Apr. 2021.

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More Definitions for transistor

transistor

noun

English Language Learners Definition of transistor

: a small device that is used to control the flow of electricity in radios, computers, etc.

See the full definition for transistor in the English Language Learners Dictionary

transistor

noun

tran·sis·tor | \ tran-ˈzi-stər

Kids Definition of transistor

: a small solid electronic device used for controlling the flow of electricity

transistor

noun

tran·sis·tor | \ tranz-ˈis-tər, tran(t)s-

Medical Definition of transistor

: a solid-state electronic device that is used to control the flow of electricity in electronic equipment and consists of a small block of a semiconductor (as germanium) with at least three electrodes