cochlear implant

American  

noun

1. a device consisting of microelectrodes that deliver electrical stimuli directly to the auditory nerve when surgically implanted into the cochlea, enabling a person with sensorineural deafness to hear.

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cochlear implant British  

/ ˈkɒklɪə /

noun

1. a device that stimulates the acoustic nerve in the inner ear in order to produce some form of hearing in people who are deaf from inner ear disease

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cochlear implant Scientific  

/ kŏk′lē-ər /

1. A surgically implanted electronic device that allows people with severe hearing loss to recognize some sounds. It consists chiefly of a microphone and receiver, a processor that converts speech into electronic signals, and an array of electrodes that transmit the signals to the auditory nerve in the inner ear.

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Example Sentences

Patel, who is part of the lab, likens it to “a cochlear implant for the nose.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

She was diagnosed with profound hearing loss at the age of one and has a cochlear implant to help her perceive sound.

From BBC • Nov. 15, 2024

"It's remarkable that these effects were strongest for cochlear implant users, perhaps because shape-based nouns guided their word learning after implants gave them access to hearing."

From Science Daily • Nov. 14, 2024

Unless you have severe-to-profound hearing loss that makes you a candidate for a cochlear implant, these doctors seemed to have better things to do.

From Salon • Sep. 30, 2024

In addition, the doctor who had repaired my facial nerve installed a tiny electronic sound transmitter called a cochlear implant deep behind my ear.

From "Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World" by Malala Yousafzai