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resonator

American  
[rez-uh-ney-ter] / ˈrɛz əˌneɪ tər /

noun

  1. anything that resonates.

  2. an appliance for increasing sound by resonance.

  3. an instrument for detecting the presence of a particular frequency by means of resonance.

  4. Electronics.

    1. a hollow enclosure cavity resonator made of conducting material of such dimensions that electromagnetic radiation of a certain frequency will resonate.

    2. any circuit having this frequency characteristic.


resonator British  
/ ˈrɛzəˌneɪtə /

noun

  1. any body or system that displays resonance, esp a tuned electrical circuit or a conducting cavity in which microwaves are generated by a resonant current

"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

Etymology

Origin of resonator

First recorded in 1865–70; resonate + -or 2

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.

See Examples For:

It creates multiple pathways for energy to move through the system, reduces wasted power, and lessens the strain on the resonator.

From Science Daily Apr. 10, 2026

The brittle, acoustically reflective shell combines with its curved, hollow shape to act as a Helmholtz resonator, rendering ambient background noise into the sound of the surf.

From The Wall Street Journal Jan. 16, 2026

Weaving around the many period-rich diegetic songs, he took a 1932 Dobro resonator guitar — the same one that Caton’s character, Sammy, plays in the film — and channeled his father’s blues-loving DNA.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 16, 2025

Others had done similar things, Rybka notes, but earlier efforts made the higher mode resonator ring strongly at one frequency or made it tunable, not both.

From Science Magazine Nov. 20, 2024

The Chevalier Tialys had received a message on his lodestone resonator, ordering him and the Lady Salmakia to smuggle themselves aboard.

From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman

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