transponder
noun
Did you know?
This word was coined during World War II by simply joining pieces of the words transmitter and responder. Transponders are basic to modern aviation and communications satellites, and they're finding new uses in fields such as medicine as well. But they're now also part of everyday life. The "E-ZPass" that lets you drive right through turnpike tollbooths is a transponder, and the car you're driving may not even start unless it recognizes the signal from your personal key's transponder. In a big crowded foot race, you may carry a tiny transponder on your shoe that records when you cross both the starting line and the finish line.
Examples of transponder in a Sentence
April 16, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026
Fars reported earlier this morning that an Iranian supertanker entered Iranian waters by passing through the open sea and the Strait of Hormuz with its transponder on.
—Alexandra Bacallao, NBC news, 15 Apr. 2026
The actual transit volumes may be higher than the data suggests, as many tankers turn off their transponders to avoid potential targeting by Iran, but remain at a fraction of prewar levels.
—Anniek Bao,joseph Wilkins, CNBC, 9 Apr. 2026
Jennifer Homendy, chair of the NTSB, said during a news conference on Tuesday the system in place at LaGuardia, known as ASDE-X or Airport Surface Detection Equipment, Model X, did not alert ahead of the crash because there was no transponder in the firetruck.
—Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for transponder
Cite this Entry
“Transponder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transponder. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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