amplifier

American  

[am-pluh-fahy-er] / ˈæm pləˌfaɪ ər /

noun

1. a person or thing that amplifies or enlarges.

2. an electronic component or circuit for amplifying power, current, or voltage.

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amplifier British  

/ ˈæmplɪˌfaɪə /

noun

1. an electronic device used to increase the strength of the signal fed into it

2. such a device used for the amplification of audio frequency signals in a radio, etc

3. photog an additional lens for altering the focal length of a camera lens

4. a person or thing that amplifies

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amplifier Cultural  

1. In electronics, a device that takes a small electric signal and converts it into a large one. Amplifiers are used in stereo systems, electric guitars, and loudspeakers.

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Etymology

Origin of amplifier

First recorded in 1540–50; amplify + -er ¹

Compare meaning

How does amplifier compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• preamplifier vs. amplifier

Example Sentences

A few paces away, Jerry Garcia’s “Budman” amplifier, once part of the Grateful Dead’s three-story high “Wall of Sound,” perched atop a podium.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 2026

What made that possible was a “pickup,” essentially a magnet mounted under the strings that turned vibrations into an electric current that connects to an amplifier.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026

Rather than relying on one long crystal or stacking many short ones, they run the light repeatedly through a single short crystal inside an optical parametric amplifier.

From Science Daily • Nov. 9, 2025

Because pain itself is generated in the brain, not the body’s tissues, it can be wildly out of proportion to any physical damage, an amplifier that transforms a whisper into a distorted shriek.

From Slate • Sep. 15, 2025

We are right by an amplifier, so she has to yell.

From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King