transistor

UK: /trænˈzɪstə^r/ US: /trænˈzɪstɚ/ ,(tran zis′tər)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

tran•sis•tor /trænˈzɪstɚ/   n. [countable]

1. Electronics a small, solid device used in certain electronic products:
   A transistor consists of a semiconductor with three or more electrodes and uses very little power.
2. Radio and Television, Informal Terms Also called tranˈsis•tor ˈra•di•o. a small radio with transistors as main parts.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

tran•sis•tor  (tran zis′tər), n. 

1. [Electronics.] a semiconductor device that amplifies, oscillates, or switches the flow of current between two terminals by varying the current or voltage between one of the terminals and a third: although much smaller in size than a vacuum tube, it performs similar functions without requiring current to heat a cathode.
2. [Informal.] a transistorized radio.

adj. 

3. [Informal.] transistorized:
   a transistor radio.

• trans(fer) + (res)istor 1945–50

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

transistor / trænˈzɪstə/ noun

1. a semiconductor device, having three or more terminals attached to electrode regions, in which current flowing between two electrodes is controlled by a voltage or current applied to one or more specified electrodes. The device is capable of amplification, etc, and has replaced the valve in most circuits since it is much smaller, more robust, and works at a much lower voltage
   See also junction transistor, field-effect transistor
2. a transistor radio

Etymology: 20th Century: originally a trademark, from transfer + resistor, referring to the transfer of electric signals across a resistor