transform

American  

[trans-fawrm, trans-fawrm] / trænsˈfɔrm, ˈtræns fɔrm /

verb (used with object)

1. to change in form, appearance, or structure; metamorphose.

   Synonyms:

   transfigure

2. to change in condition, nature, or character; convert.

3. to change into another substance; transmute.

4. Electricity.

   1. to increase or decrease (the voltage and current characteristics of an alternating-current circuit), as by means of a transformer.

   2. to decrease (the voltage and current characteristics of a direct-current circuit), as by means of a transformer.

5. Mathematics. to change the form of (a figure, expression, etc.) without in general changing the value.

6. Physics. to change into another form of energy.

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verb (used without object)

1. to undergo a change in form, appearance, or character; become transformed.

noun

1. Mathematics.

   1. a mathematical quantity obtained from a given quantity by an algebraic, geometric, or functional transformation.

   2. the transformation itself.

2. the result of a transformation.

3. a transformation.

4. Logic. transformation.

5. Linguistics. a structure derived by a transformation.

transform British  

verb

1. to alter or be altered radically in form, function, etc

2. (tr) to convert (one form of energy) to another form

3. (tr) maths to change the form of (an equation, expression, etc) by a mathematical transformation

4. (tr) to increase or decrease (an alternating current or voltage) using a transformer

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noun

1. maths the result of a mathematical transformation, esp (of a matrix or an element of a group) another related to the given one by B = X ^–1 AX for some appropriate X

Related Words

Transform , convert mean to change one thing into another. Transform suggests changing from one form, appearance, structure, or type to another: to transform soybeans into oil and meal by pressure. Convert suggests so changing the characteristics as to change the use or purpose: to convert a barn into a house.

Other Word Forms

• intertransformable adjective
• nontransforming adjective
• retransform verb (used with object)
• self-transformed adjective
• transformable adjective
• transformative adjective
• untransformable adjective
• untransformed adjective
• untransforming adjective

Etymology

Origin of transform

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English transformen, from Latin trānsfōrmāre “to change in shape”; trans-, form

Example Sentences

With the right balance of water and solvent, a plain surface can transform into a vibrant array of patterns.

From Science Daily

Since their invention in the 1960s, lasers have transformed both science and daily life, powering everything from grocery store scanners to vision-correcting surgery.

From Science Daily

Much of that classification still rests on 2011 data, even though many areas have since transformed, blurring the lines that underpin policy.

From BBC

There’s a ray gun that transforms its targets into babies.

From The Wall Street Journal

The landscape has been transformed since the failure of Google Glass, the search company’s early foray into smart glasses that was axed in 2015.

From Barron's

Related Words

• alter
• convert
• mold
• mutate
• reconstruct
• remodel
• revamp
• revolutionize
• transfer
• translate