transmission

American  

[trans-mish-uhn, tranz-] / trænsˈmɪʃ ən, trænz- /

noun

1. the act or process of transmitting.

   Synonyms:

   conveyance, passing, passage, transfer

2. the fact of being transmitted.

   Synonyms:

   conveyance, passing, passage, transfer

3. something that is transmitted.

4. Machinery.

   1. transference of force between machines or mechanisms, often with changes of torque and speed.

   2. a compact, enclosed unit of gears or the like for this purpose, as in an automobile.

5. Radio and Television. the broadcasting of electromagnetic waves from one location to another, as from a transmitter to a receiver.

6. Physics. transmittance.

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transmission British  

/ trænzˈmɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of transmitting

2. something that is transmitted

3. the extent to which a body or medium transmits light, sound, or some other form of energy

4. the transference of motive force or power

5. a system of shafts, gears, torque converters, etc, that transmits power, esp the arrangement of such parts that transmits the power of the engine to the driving wheels of a motor vehicle

6. the act or process of sending a message, picture, or other information from one location to one or more other locations by means of radio waves, electrical signals, light signals, etc

7. a radio or television broadcast

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Other Word Forms

• nontransmission noun
• pretransmission noun
• retransmission noun
• transmissibility noun
• transmissible adjective
• transmissive adjective
• transmissively adverb
• transmissiveness noun
• untransmissive adjective

Etymology

Origin of transmission

1605–15; < Latin trānsmissiōn- (stem of trānsmissiō ) a sending across, equivalent to trānsmiss ( us ) (past participle of trānsmittere to send across) + -iōn- -ion. See trans-, mission

Explanation

Transmission is the act of transferring something from one spot to another, like a radio or TV broadcast, or a disease going from one person to another. The noun transmission comes from the Latin word transmissio, which means “sending over or across, passage.” The transmission of a message is the delivery of the message. Transmission can also be a communication sent out by radio or television, while the transmission of a disease is the passing of that virus or bacteria between people. A vehicle’s transmission is the part of the engine that uses the energy created by the burning fuel to make the axle turn.

Example Sentences

AI data centers, manufacturing, and grid hardening against severe weather are driving investments, with half for transmission system upgrades.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

This suggests very few of these cases were caused by mother-to-child transmission.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

Investigators found that the fire was ignited when equipment failed on a decades-old PG&E transmission line.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

Hyperscalers can order servers and deploy them quickly, but the transformer that steps down high-voltage transmission to usable power cannot be rushed, and this creates a fundamental timing mismatch.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

To many traditionalists, Plato included, the age of the written word necessarily meant the end of a craft of oral transmission that had long nourished the Greek mind.

From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro

Related Words

• broadcast
• communication
• delivery
• gearbox