Meaning & use

transistor

noun·Advanced

A small electronic device used to amplify or switch electrical signals and current.

See it in a sentence

Modern computer chips contain billions of tiny transistors packed onto a single wafer.

The invention of the transistor made radios far smaller and more portable.

A note on using this word

Transistor also historically named the small portable radios that were popular after the device was invented in the 1950s.

Words with a similar meaning

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Another way to use it

2. noun

A small portable radio, especially one popular in the mid-twentieth century.

He listened to the ball game on an old transistor by the pool.

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