Edison

American  

[ed-uh-suhn] / ˈɛd ə sən /

noun

1. Thomas Alva 1847–1931, U.S. inventor, especially of electrical devices.

2. a township in central New Jersey.

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Edison British  

/ ˈɛdɪsən /

noun

1. Thomas Alva. 1847–1931, US inventor. He patented more than a thousand inventions, including the phonograph, the incandescent electric lamp, the microphone, and the kinetoscope

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Edison Scientific  

/ ĕd′ĭ-sən /

1. American inventor and physicist who took out more than 1,000 patents in his lifetime. His inventions include the telegraph (1869), microphone (1877), and light bulb (1879). He also designed the first power plant (1881–82), making possible the widespread distribution of electricity. During World War I, Edison worked on a number of military devices, including flamethrowers, periscopes, and torpedoes.

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Example Sentences

Edison and his team tested more than 6,000 vegetable fibers over 18 months before settling on bamboo filament.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

The lives and legacies of Carnegie, Edison, Ford, and Jobs all tell the same story: The U.S. is the world’s best launchpad for groundbreaking entrepreneurs and scalers of new technology.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

In Altadena, Edison is burying the smaller distribution lines, which carry power to homes.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

According to Simmons, discussions took place about Edison acquiring Woods’s company, but no agreement was reached.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

“But you got to keep on doing them favors,” old man Edison would say.

From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright