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.

---

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

---

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.

---

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

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

Conventional signals are refreshed roughly every 50 kilometers using an optical amplifier.

From Science Daily • Nov. 29, 2025

For many people with chronic pain, the metaphors that scientists use—like the amplifier, making a whisper sound like a scream—don’t tell the whole story.

From Slate • Sep. 15, 2025

Flick played the riff on a 1939 English Clifford Essex Paragon Deluxe guitar plugged into a Fender Vibrolux amplifier.

From BBC • Nov. 20, 2024

She switched off the detector and the amplifier.

From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman