heat sink

American  

noun

1. Thermodynamics. any environment or medium that absorbs heat.

2. Electronics. Also heatsink a metallic heat exchanger designed to absorb and dissipate excess heat from one of the devices, as a transistor or resistor, in a circuit.

---

heat sink British  

noun

1. a metal plate specially designed to conduct and radiate heat from an electrical component

2. a layer of material placed within the outer skin of high-speed aircraft to absorb heat

---

heat sink Scientific  

1. A protective device that absorbs and dissipates the excess heat generated by a system.

2. An environment capable of absorbing heat from substances within it (and with which it is in thermal contact) without an appreciable change in its own temperature and without a change in its own phase.

---

heat sink Cultural  

1. A reservoir for excess heat, especially in a mechanical or electrical device.

---

Discover More

One obstacle to the loading of circuits onto microprocessors is the heat generated by electrical circuits. Effective heat sinks, such as metal fins on top of a microprocessor, can provide part of the solution to this problem.

Etymology

Origin of heat sink

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

But he realised the falcons were having no success because they had laid their eggs in a metal gutter, which acts as a heat sink, drawing warmth away from the nest.

From BBC • Nov. 7, 2025

However, his findings indicatethat far from acting as insulation, the mantle instead acts like a heat sink -- dissipating the heat away from the centre.

From Science Daily • Nov. 27, 2023

This layer of thinset acts as a heat sink and helps to ensure the temperature of the floor is distributed evenly, so that no matter where your foot steps, the floor is toasty warm.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 7, 2023

It’s dense, though, especially if you have the most powerful M1 Ultra model, which includes a heat sink that makes it two whole pounds heavier than the starting configuration with an M1 Max chip.

From The Verge • Mar. 17, 2022

I had decided to line the interior of the nozzle with a veneer of water putty, an inspiration that I hoped would act as an ablative heat sink.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam