semiconductor

American  

[sem-ee-kuhn-duhk-ter, sem-ahy-] / ˌsɛm i kənˈdʌk tər, ˌsɛm aɪ- /

noun

1. a substance, as silicon or germanium, with electrical conductivity intermediate between that of an insulator and a conductor: a basic component of various kinds of electronic circuit element semiconductor device used in communications, control, and detection technology and in computers.

2. a semiconductor device.

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semiconductor British  

/ ˌsɛmɪkənˈdʌktə /

noun

1. a substance, such as germanium or silicon, that has an electrical conductivity that increases with temperature and is intermediate between that of a metal and an insulator

2. 1. a device, such as a transistor or integrated circuit, that depends on the properties of such a substance

   2. ( as modifier )

      a semiconductor diode

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semiconductor Scientific  

/ sĕm′ē-kən-dŭk′tər /

1. Any of various solid substances, such as silicon or germanium, that conduct electricity more easily than insulators but less easily than conductors. In semiconductors, thermal energy is enough to cause a small number of electrons to escape from the valence bonds between the atoms (the valence band); they orbit instead in the higher-energy conduction band, in which they are relatively free. The resulting gaps in the valence band are called holes. Semiconductors are vital to the design of electronic components and circuitry, including transistors, laser diodes, and memory and computer processing circuits.

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semiconductor Cultural  

1. A material that conducts (see conduction) electricity, but very poorly. Silicon is the most common and familiar semiconductor. Devices made from semiconductors, such as the transistor, are the basis of the modern microelectric industry.

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Other Word Forms

• semiconduction
  noun

Etymology

Origin of semiconductor

First recorded in 1875–80; semi- + conductor

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

semiconductor

AMD’s stock rallied 4.5% in recent afternoon trading Tuesday, to outpace the overall semiconductor sector’s gain of about 1%.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

Like so much in the semiconductor space, the Samsung news was not negative, but just didn’t live up to expectations given its stock has surged 114% this year and 259% over the last 52 weeks.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026

Malcolm Penn, chairman of the semiconductor consultancy Future Horizons, said AT&S was one of few European companies directly benefiting from booming demand for AI hardware.

From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026

Investors pared back bets in recent weeks that the Fed will hike interest rates in 2026, helping the stock market stay near records and propelling semiconductor and memory storage makers to soar.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

Still, he had to keep himself from saying something snide about the lack of tangible good resulting from keeping MPs up to date on the poleconomy of semiconductor production in PacRim sweatshops.

From Eastern Standard Tribe by Cory Doctorow