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

The commercial pressure to keep shrinking transistors has brought them down to near-atomic sizes, while spurring investment in miniaturization techniques. — Frank Wilczek, WSJ, "The Second Quantum Revolution," 18 Oct. 2018 Computer chips are made up of billions of transistors that switch the flow of electricity on and off in microscopic wires. — Eric Smalley, Discover Magazine, "Cellular Cyborgs: How Programmable DNA Strands Might Control Healing," 25 Sep. 2018 The device is subject to high internal temperatures that can damage transistors that convert lower-voltage direct current from the battery to higher-voltage alternating current for the motor. — Ralph Vartabedian, latimes.com, "Electrical defects cause Priuses to stall; Toyota may be bracing for a legal fight as safety worries grow," 23 Apr. 2018 The number of touch-screen liquid-crystal displays using thin film transistors installed in new vehicles globally will grow to 200 million units by 2022, nearly double the number in 2016, according to IHS Markit. — Chester Dawson, WSJ, "In Car Makers’ Digital Dash, Little Room for Error," 27 Mar. 2018 So Dennard was the guy who invented D-RAMs, the one-transistor D-RAM. — Recode Staff, Recode, "Full transcript: Dave Patterson and John Hennessy on Recode Decode," 17 May 2018 His proposal anticipated how modern lithography sculpts tiny transistors and circuits for computer chips and makes CDs and DVDs. — Frank Wilczek, WSJ, "A Great Physicist’s Visions of a Future for Tiny Objects," 25 Apr. 2018 Smaller transistors allow chip makers to pack circuitry more densely, making for more powerful chips that potentially are also smaller and use less electricity. — Ted Greenwald, WSJ, "Intel’s Chip Stumble Is Letting Rivals Pull Ahead," 24 June 2018 One of the most significant gifts of my childhood was a small white AM transistor radio my best friend bought for my birthday in 1974. — Nancy Baym, WIRED, "Book Excerpt: How Music Fans Built the Internet," 10 July 2018

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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17 Nov 2018

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The first known use of transistor was in 1948

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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