integrated circuit

American  

noun

Electronics.

1. a circuit of transistors, resistors, and capacitors constructed on a single semiconductor wafer or chip, in which the components are interconnected to perform a given function. IC

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integrated circuit British  

noun

1.  IC.  a very small electronic circuit consisting of an assembly of elements made from a chip of semiconducting material, such as crystalline silicon

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integrated circuit Scientific  

/ ĭn′tĭ-grā′tĭd /

1. A device made of interconnected electronic components, such as transistors and resistors, that are etched or imprinted onto a tiny slice of a semiconducting material, such as silicon or germanium. An integrated circuit smaller than a fingernail can hold millions of circuits.

2. Also called chip microchip

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integrated circuit Cultural  

1. A miniaturized electrical circuit built on a microchip.

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Etymology

Origin of integrated circuit

First recorded in 1955–60

Compare meaning

How does integrated-circuit compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• microprocessor vs. integrated circuit

Example Sentences

The breakthrough arrived in 1958 when Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments built the first integrated circuit.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

What’s Next: ASICs are an integrated circuit chip customized for a specific use.

From Barron's • Dec. 3, 2025

Google’s TPUs are a type of application-specific integrated circuit, and the debate over ASICs versus graphics processing units, like those made by Nvidia and AMD, is nothing new.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 24, 2025

But semiconductor engineers are running up against the physical limits of Moore’s Law, a long-held projection that the number of transistors on an integrated circuit will double every two years, making them smaller and faster.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 13, 2024

“It’s an integrated circuit on a sphere of silicon about one millimeter in diameter,” Alex said.

From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz

Related Words

• chip
• circuitry
• microchip
• microprocessor
• silicon chip