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 recall follows one in November, when Hyundai and Kia recalled more than 200,000 electric vehicles to fix a transistor in a charging control unit that could be damaged and cause the loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash. —Alexandra Banner, CNN, 27 Jan. 2025

In documents filed with federal regulators, the affiliated Korean automakers explained that a faulty transistor in the charging control unit could fail, preventing the 12-volt battery from charging. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 25 Jan. 2025

Its new quantum chip, Majorana 1, is a quantum processor analogous to transistors in classical computers’ semiconductor chips and offers a path to million-qubit systems in a single relatively small quantum computing fridge. —John Koetsier, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025

Would-be buyers of older setups should know that most consumer electronics from the early solid-state era—the mid-1960s into the ’80s, when transistors appeared to be the death knell for vacuum tubes—sounded awful then and sound even worse today. —Robert Ross, Robb Report, 15 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

trans- + (re)sist(ance) entry 1 + -or entry 1

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing transistor

• field-effect transistor
• transistor radio

Rhymes for transistor

• resister
• resistor
• stepsister
• blister
• lyster
• mister
• sister
• twister

Kids 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