Berliner

¹ American  

[bur-luh-ner] / ˈbɜr lə nər /

noun

1. Emile, 1851–1929, U.S. inventor, born in Germany.

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Berliner ² American  

[bur-lin-er] / bɜrˈlɪn ər /

noun

1. a native or resident of Berlin, Germany.

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Berliner British  

/ bɜːˈlɪnə /

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Berlin

2. a newspaper having a format between that of a broadsheet and a tabloid, approximately 18.5 inches by 12.4 inches (47 x 31.5 centimetres)

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Etymology

Origin of Berliner

First recorded in 1855–60; Berlin + -er ¹

Example Sentences

In 1877, Berliner, then working with Edison, created the first “telephone voice transmitter,” a device that used a vibrating metal diaphragm to convert sound waves into electrical signals for transmission over telephone lines.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026

Ultimately it is about "putting the potato in the spotlight as a valuable food," said Berliner Morgenpost editor, Peter Schink who helped spearhead the plan.

From BBC • Jan. 29, 2026

She is presented as Hannelore Kaufmann, a 13-year-old Berliner who purportedly died at the Auschwitz extermination camp, of which the 1945 liberation by Soviet troops is commemorated on Tuesday.

From Barron's • Jan. 27, 2026

In March 2022, Berliner stayed at Herman’s English Tudor house in the 4500 block of Densmore Avenue.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2025

The U-Bahn carried me gently west from Kleistpark to Berliner Strasse and then, after a switch, northward toward Zoologischer Garten.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides