Silicon Valley

American  

noun

1. the area in northern California, southwest of San Francisco in the Santa Clara valley region, where many of the high-technology design and manufacturing companies in the semiconductor industry are concentrated.

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Silicon Valley British  

noun

1. an industrial strip in W California, extending S of San Francisco, in which the US information technology industry is concentrated

2. any area in which industries associated with information technology are concentrated

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Silicon Valley Cultural  

1. A region on the San Francisco Peninsula in California where the miniaturized electronics industry is centered, so called because most of the devices built there are made of semiconductors such as silicon.

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The term is often used as a catchword to describe the development of high-tech industry (see also high-tech): “If we can attract this corporation to our town, we could become another Silicon Valley.”

Etymology

Origin of Silicon Valley

So called from the silicon wafers employed in semiconductor devices

Example Sentences

Over separate video calls, The Times caught up with Glatzer and Magnussen to discuss what intrigues them about the machinations of Silicon Valley and how their relationship with tech has changed.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

This rip-roaring AI-powered bull market has already overcome a handful of potentially existential challenges, from the 2023 collapse of Silicon Valley Bank to last year’s tariff tantrum.

From MarketWatch • May 20, 2026

This rip-roaring AI-powered bull market has already overcome a handful of potentially existential challenges — from the 2023 collapse of Silicon Valley Bank to last year’s tariff tantrum.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026

Now, many of them are coming home—and the reverse brain drain is fueling Beijing’s efforts to take on Silicon Valley.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

Like Silicon Valley in the heyday of the Internet bubble, London was the center of a speculative mania about the Americas.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann