photoelectric
Americanadjective
adjective
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Relating to or exhibiting to electrical effects upon exposure to light. For example, some photoelectric materials emit electrons called photoelectrons upon exposure to certain frequencies of light; others, such as photoresistors and phototransistors, change their electrical properties.
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See also photoelectric effect
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of photoelectric
Vocabulary lists containing photoelectric
Physics - High School
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Electromagnetic Radiation - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When such particles enter a chamber in the device, they scatter light from a small light source, which is then picked up by a photoelectric sensor.
From BBC • Jan. 15, 2026
This technology can enhance photoelectric conversion efficiency to over 30% when used alongside existing silicon solar cells, thereby increasing the possibility of replacing fossil fuel-based energy sources and contributing to the achievement of carbon neutrality.
From Science Daily • Feb. 29, 2024
He added, "This breakthrough could open new avenues for optoelectronic device applications using excitons and trions such as solar cells and photoelectric integrated circuits."
From Science Daily • Feb. 5, 2024
At Cal Tech, physicist Robert Millikan brought home the first of Southern California’s dozens of Nobel Prizes “for his work on the elementary charge of electricity and on the photoelectric effect.”
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2023
This paper—which explained the photoelectric effect, brought quantum mechanics into the mainstream.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
