electronics
Americannoun
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(used with a singular verb) the science dealing with the development and application of devices and systems involving the flow of electrons in a vacuum, in gaseous media, and in semiconductors.
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(used with a plural verb) electronic devices, circuits, or systems developed through electronics.
Can you get through the day without using your phone or other electronics?
noun
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(functioning as singular) the science and technology concerned with the development, behaviour, and applications of electronic devices and circuits
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(functioning as plural) the circuits and devices of a piece of electronic equipment
the electronics of a television set
Etymology
Origin of electronics
First recorded in 1905–10; see origin at electronic, -ics
Explanation
Devices that use electricity and electrical components to perform a task — like stereos, TVs, computers, and calculators — are electronics. Unless you live off the grid in a remote place, winding the watch on your wrist and cooking freshly caught fish on your campfire, your life is full of electronics. Kitchen appliances, computers, and televisions are all electronics. You can also use this word for the science of designing circuits using electrical components, or the study of the way electrons behave under various circumstances.
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.
Earlier in May, South Korea's Samsung Electronics, known for its smartphones and televisions, joined the $1tn club and became only the second Asian firm to reach the milestone after Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC.
From BBC • May 27, 2026
South Korean rivals SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics saw gains of 5.7% and 2.2%, respectively, in local trading.
From Barron's • May 26, 2026
Delta Electronics, which specializes in data-center power management, jumped 9.3%.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 25, 2026
Samsung Electronics averted a strike by reaching a bonus-pay deal with its union.
From Barron's • May 22, 2026
To the readers of Popular Electronics, in those days the bible of the fledgling software and computer world, that headline was a revelation.
From "Outliers" 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.
