transmit
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to send or forward, as to a recipient or destination; dispatch; convey.
-
to communicate, as information or news.
- Synonyms:
- bear
-
to pass or spread (disease, infection, etc.) to another.
-
to pass on (a genetic characteristic) from parent to offspring.
The mother transmitted her red hair to her daughter.
-
Physics.
-
to cause (light, heat, sound, etc.) to pass through a medium.
-
to convey or pass along (an impulse, force, motion, etc.).
-
to permit (light, heat, etc.) to pass through.
Glass transmits light.
-
-
Radio and Television. to emit (electromagnetic waves).
verb (used without object)
-
to send a signal by wire, radio, or television waves.
-
to pass on a right or obligation to heirs or descendants.
verb
-
(tr) to pass or cause to go from one place or person to another; transfer
-
(tr) to pass on or impart (a disease, infection, etc)
-
(tr) to hand down to posterity
-
(tr; usually passive) to pass (an inheritable characteristic) from parent to offspring
-
to allow the passage of (particles, energy, etc)
radio waves are transmitted through the atmosphere
-
-
to send out (signals) by means of radio waves or along a transmission line
-
to broadcast (a radio or television programme)
-
-
(tr) to transfer (a force, motion, power, etc) from one part of a mechanical system to another
Synonym Usage
See carry.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
nontransmittibleadjective
-
transmittalnoun
-
transmittableadjective
-
untransmittedadjective
-
transmittibleadjective
-
retransmitverb (used with object)
-
pretransmitverb (used with object)
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
has transmittedperfect 3rd person singular
-
have transmittedperfect
-
have been transmittingperfect progressive
-
am transmittingprogressive 1st person singular
-
has been transmittingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
transmitssingular 3rd person
-
is transmittingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
transmittingparticiple
-
are transmittingprogressive
Past
-
had transmittedperfect
-
were transmittingprogressive plural
-
had been transmittingperfect progressive
-
was transmittingprogressive singular
-
transmittedparticiple
-
transmittedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of transmit
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English transmitten, from Latin trānsmittere “to send across,” from trāns- trans- + mittere “to send”
Explanation
If you’re an international spy, you might transmit secret messages using a special code written in invisible ink. If you aren’t a spy, you could probably just use email. Whatever your circumstances, when you transmit information, you send. You can transmit things from person to person or from one thing to another. The airwaves can be used to transmit radio or TV signals, for example, and computers can transmit messages over a network. This verb often describes messages or data being sent, but you can also transmit ideas, beliefs, or attitude. In addition, transmit can describe the spread of disease, like mosquitoes that can transmit disease when they bite.
Vocabulary lists containing transmit
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Send a Message: Mit and Miss
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Unit 1: Telling Details
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Yuanjie Semiconductor, which makes laser and photonic chips used to transmit data as light, rises 14% in Shanghai.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026
"If you could transmit electricity without energy loss, that would be hugely important for technologies used in our everyday life," said Lau.
From Science Daily • May 29, 2026
We are in a moment when the institutions that produce and transmit knowledge—K–12 schools, universities, archives, and media outlets—are under sustained pressure.
From Slate • May 14, 2026
Unlike COVID-19, the Andes virus is much harder to transmit from person to person.
From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026
Epidemics are a function of the people who transmit infectious agents, the infectious agent itself, and the environment in which the infectious agent is operating.
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
