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

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

Moore’s law—the prediction that the number of transistors on a computer chip would double every two years—has continued to broadly hold true in the semiconductor industry, despite multiple predictions of its demise. —Charina Chou, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025

The company continues to focus on developing its organic thin-film transistors and has entered into a technology transfer agreement with the Industrial Technology Research Institute in Taiwan for product prototyping. —Quartz Bot, Quartz, 8 Nov. 2024

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