converter

American  

[kuhn-vur-ter] / kənˈvɜr tər /

Or convertor

noun

1. a person or thing that converts.

2. Electricity. a device that converts alternating current to direct current or vice versa.

3. Metallurgy. a chamber or vessel through which an oxidizing blast of air is forced, as in making steel by the Bessemer process.

4. Television. decoder.

5. Radio and Television. an auxiliary device that permits a receiver to pick up frequencies or channels for which it was not originally designed.

6. Physics. a reactor for converting one kind of fuel into another kind.

7. a person who is engaged in converting textile fabrics, especially cotton cloths, from the raw state into the finished product ready for the market by bleaching, dyeing, etc.

8. Also called converter lens.  Photography. an additional lens attached to a lens in use on a camera to alter focal length, mounted in front of a lens to produce a wide-angle effect wide-angle converter, or wide-angle converter lens or between the lens and the camera body to produce a telephoto effect teleconverter, or extender.

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converter British  

/ kənˈvɜːtə /

noun

1. a person or thing that converts

2. physics

   1. a device for converting alternating current to direct current or vice versa

   2. a device for converting a signal from one frequency to another or from analogue to digital forms

3. a vessel in which molten metal is refined, using a blast of air or oxygen See also Bessemer converter L-D converter

4. short for converter reactor

5. computing a device for converting one form of coded information to another, such as an analogue-to-digital converter

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converter Scientific  

/ kən-vûr′tər /

1. An electrical device that changes the form of an electric signal or power source, as by converting alternating current to direct current, or an analog signal to a digital signal.

2. Compare rectifier transformer

3. An electronic device that changes the frequency of a radio or other electromagnetic signal.

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Etymology

Origin of converter

First recorded in 1525–35; convert ¹ + -er ¹

Example Sentences

At the center of the new design is an improved version of a widely used component known as a DC-DC step-down converter.

From Science Daily • Apr. 10, 2026

These adjustments make just enough room on top of the engine for the pulse inverter and DC/DC converter.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025

"But I had to buy the battery, the converter, and the cables myself – and pay for installation."

From BBC • Aug. 9, 2025

Catalytic converter theft has become common across the U.S. because the car part is easy to steal, includes no identifying markings and is very valuable.

From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2025

It was boxy and angular, and it poured so much smoke out of its exhaust pipe, I was certain the Forges of some Dark Lord were firing deep within its catalytic converter.

From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram

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