optical fiber

American  

noun

1. a very thin, flexible glass or plastic strand along which large quantities of information can be transmitted in the form of light pulses: used in telecommunications, medicine, and other fields.

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optical fiber Scientific  

1. A flexible transparent fiber of extremely pure glass or plastic, generally between 10 and 200 micrometers in diameter, used especially to carry light signals for telecommunication purposes.

2. See more at fiber optics

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Etymology

Origin of optical fiber

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

optical fiber

The Loughborough system instead connects the chip-based microresonator to a much larger loop of optical fiber.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026

Caltech researchers have found a way to move light across silicon wafers with exceptionally little signal loss, reaching levels at visible wavelengths that approach those of optical fiber.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026

Amazon and Corning announce a multiyear, multibillion-dollar agreement for optical fiber to supply data centers.

From Barron's ● Jun. 8, 2026

Amazon.com said it entered a multibillion-dollar agreement with Corning to get optical fiber, cable and connectivity solutions to support its growing data center footprint.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026

One day, however, your telephone, TV, fax machine and personal computer will be replaced by a single ``information processor'' linked to the worldwide Net by strands of optical fiber.

From Big Dummy's Guide to the Internet by Electronic Frontier Foundation