transistor
noun
tran·sis·tor
tran-ˈzi-stər 
tran(t)-ˈsi-
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 word suggests that during calculations, a computer can break up large values into tiny ones – bits of information – which electronic devices such as transistors can more easily process.
—
Discover Magazine, 21 June 2024
Maximizing the number of transistors on a chip meant that the resulting computer using that chip could be as fast and powerful as possible.
—Mar Hicks, The Conversation, 19 June 2024
Since around 1971, the density of transistors on an integrated circuit has doubled roughly every two years, a phenomenon known as Moore’s law, after Gordon Moore, the co-founder of the computer chip giant Intel.
—Nicholas Bloom, Foreign Affairs, 7 June 2018
Classical computers store and process information via transistors, which are electronic devices that take binary, deterministic states: one or zero, yes or no.
—Discover Magazine, 21 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for transistor 
Discover Magazine, 21 June 2024
Maximizing the number of transistors on a chip meant that the resulting computer using that chip could be as fast and powerful as possible.
—Mar Hicks, The Conversation, 19 June 2024
Since around 1971, the density of transistors on an integrated circuit has doubled roughly every two years, a phenomenon known as Moore’s law, after Gordon Moore, the co-founder of the computer chip giant Intel.
—Nicholas Bloom, Foreign Affairs, 7 June 2018
Classical computers store and process information via transistors, which are electronic devices that take binary, deterministic states: one or zero, yes or no.
—Discover Magazine, 21 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for transistor
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'transistor.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near transistor
Cite this Entry
“Transistor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transistor. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
transistor
noun
tran·sis·tor
tranz-ˈis-tər
tran(t)s-
1
: an electronic device that consists of a small block of a semiconductor (as germanium) with at least three electrodes and is used to control the flow of electricity in electronic equipment (as a radio or computer)
2
: a radio having transistors
called also transistor radio
Medical Definition
transistor
noun
tran·sis·tor
tranz-ˈis-tər, tran(t)s-
: 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
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