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electromagnet

American  
[ih-lek-troh-mag-nit] / ɪˌlɛk troʊˈmæg nɪt /

noun

  1. a device consisting of an iron or steel core that is magnetized by electric current in a coil that surrounds it.

electromagnet British  
/ ɪˌlɛktrəʊˈmæɡnɪt /

noun

  1. a magnet consisting of an iron or steel core wound with a coil of wire, through which a current is passed

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
electromagnet Scientific  
/ ĭ-lĕk′trō-măg′nĭt /

  1. A device consisting of a coil of insulated wire wrapped around an iron core that becomes magnetized when an electric current flows through the wire. Electromagnets are used to convert electrical control signals into mechanical movements.

  2. See Note at magnetism

electromagnet 1 Cultural  

  1. A magnet created by passing an electric current (see also current) through coils of wire. Electromagnets are widely used in common electrical systems.

electromagnet 2 Cultural  

  1. A magnet created by passing an electric current (see also current) through coils of wire. Such magnets are widely used in common electrical systems.

Etymology

Origin of electromagnet

First recorded in 1815–25; electro- + magnet

Vocabulary lists containing electromagnet

Electricity and Magnetism - Introductory

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Physics - Introductory

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Electrical Engineering

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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.

Sixteen models equipped with a starter produced between July 2020 and July 2022 could be affected due the electromagnet showing excessive wear over time, BMW said in a statement.

From Barron's • Feb. 11, 2026

"Of course, UTe2 cannot be used to make leads for a superconducting electromagnet," says Helm.

From Science Daily • Jan. 31, 2024

She steals an electromagnet from the junkyard in order to snag a meteor out of the sky during a shower, for vaguely nefarious power-mad reasons.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 29, 2023

Physicists moved the experiment's 15-meter-wide electromagnet to Fermilab in 2013, upgraded the apparatus, and started to record data in January 2018.

From Science Magazine • Jan. 3, 2019

The original magnet design called for using copper for the electromagnet coils and the massive transmission bus that carried electricity to the racetracks.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

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.