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condenser

American  
[kuhn-den-ser] / kənˈdɛn sər /

noun

  1. a person or thing that condenses.

  2. an apparatus for condensing.

  3. any device for reducing gases or vapors to liquid or solid form.

  4. Optics. a lens or combination of lenses that gathers and concentrates light in a specified direction, often used to direct light onto the projection lens in a projection system.

  5. Electricity. capacitor.


condenser British  
/ kənˈdɛnsə /

noun

    1. an apparatus for reducing gases to their liquid or solid form by the abstraction of heat

    2. a device for abstracting heat, as in a refrigeration unit

  1. a lens that concentrates light into a small area

  2. another name for capacitor

  3. a person or device that condenses

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

condenser Scientific  
/ kən-dĕn′sər /
  1. An apparatus used to condense vapor, usually using cooling or pressurization.

  2. See capacitor

  3. A mirror, lens, or combination of lenses used to gather light and direct it upon an object or through a projection lens.


Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of condenser

First recorded in 1680–90; condense + -er 1


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.

See Examples For:

You can buy one for just one room or you can get multiple indoor units to work with a single outdoor condenser, according to LG, the household appliance and white goods retailer.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

Outside, clear away debris from the condenser unit so it can breathe.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026

Matthew Gallo was waiting for an automotive part from the U.K. for his vintage Jaguar when he got an email from his carrier saying the $1,600 air-conditioner condenser had been destroyed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 2025

The refrigerant then flows through condenser coils where it releases its heat out and cools back into a liquid.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 13, 2023

Then they made an unwelcome discovery: the two valves that needed to be open to allow cooled water to flow from the isolation condenser back into the reactor of unit 1 were closed.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

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