amplifier
Americannoun
-
a person or thing that amplifies or enlarges.
-
an electronic component or circuit for amplifying power, current, or voltage.
noun
-
an electronic device used to increase the strength of the signal fed into it
-
such a device used for the amplification of audio frequency signals in a radio, etc
-
photog an additional lens for altering the focal length of a camera lens
-
a person or thing that amplifies
Etymology
Origin of amplifier
Compare meaning
How does amplifier compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
An amplifier is a device that makes an electronic signal stronger, and it's most often used to increase the volume of musical instruments. If you play electric guitar in a rock band, you use an amplifier. In scientific terms, an amplifier can increase (or amplify) any type of signal, including magnetic signals and optical signals. When people talk about amplifiers, they usually mean the ones used by musicians and sound engineers. If you plug your electric bass guitar into an amplifier, you can make the sound loud enough that your next door neighbors will be able to hear it. You can call an amplifier an amp for short.
Vocabulary lists containing amplifier
1-2-3 Scream!
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"How Coach Told Me I Didn't Make the Cut" and "Bionics"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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.
The amplifier developed at Stanford can increase the intensity of a light signal by about 100 times while using only a few hundred milliwatts of power.
From Science Daily • May 5, 2026
They recruit a bass player named Bill Perks, who compensates for his lack of blues knowledge by bringing along an enormous amplifier.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
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
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
We are right by an amplifier, so she has to yell.
From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King
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.
