transistor

noun tran·sis·tor \ tran-ˈzis-tər , tran(t)-ˈsis- \

Updated on: 22 Apr 2018

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

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Recent Examples of transistor from the Web

American researchers had discovered that silicon transistors, the building blocks of computers, could also generate electricity when hit by sunlight.

— The Economist, "The future of solar energy," 28 Mar. 2018
Apple is also designing its own thin-film transistors and screen drivers, key components in display assemblies.

— mark gurman, chicagotribune.com, "Apple said to develop displays to replace Samsung screens," 19 Mar. 2018
Apple is also designing its own thin-film transistors and screen drivers, key components in display assemblies.

— mark gurman, Bloomberg.com, "Apple Is Secretly Developing Its Own Screens for the First Time," 19 Mar. 2018
Apple is also designing its own thin-film transistors and screen drivers, key components in display assemblies.

— mark gurman / bloomberg, Time, "Apple Is Using a Secret Facility to Do Something It's Never Done Before," 19 Mar. 2018
There's a cheap feel to everything — the seats, the dashboard, the shifter that has three settings (drive, reverse and neutral), the stereo that sounds like a transistor radio and even an ice scraper that broke off in my hand.

— james briggs, Indianapolis Star, "Briggs: I've been using BlueIndy for 4 months. Here's how it fits into Indianapolis transit.," 16 Mar. 2018
Sometimes, Weymouth even creates a narrative, as in Eleven O’Clock News (1966), in which a man pauses while chopping wood to listen to some news on the transistor radio.

— thomas hine, Philly.com, "Frolic Weymouth, the man who branded the Brandywine, gets an art show of his own," 15 Mar. 2018
But that dependability is the result of 60 years of continuous improvement of solid-state silicon transistors.

— The Economist, "Computer scienceMaking quantum computers reliable," 22 Feb. 2018
The smaller scale allows more transistors to be packed into the same space, speeding up performance and likely saving energy.

— aaron pressman, Fortune, "Chip Wars 2018: What Intel, Nvidia, AMD and Qualcomm Announced At CES," 9 Jan. 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.

Origin and Etymology of transistor

trans- + ¹(re)sist(ance) + ¹-or

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1948

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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TRANSISTOR Defined for English Language Learners

transistor

noun

Definition of transistor for English Language Learners

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

TRANSISTOR Defined for Kids

transistor

noun tran·sis·tor \ tran-ˈzi-stər \

Definition of transistor for Students

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

Medical Dictionary

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

Learn More about transistor

See words that rhyme with transistor Spanish Central: Translation of transistor Nglish: Translation of transistor for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about transistor

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transistor

Definition of transistor

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TRANSISTOR Defined for English Language Learners

transistor

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transistor

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transistor

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