transmit

American  

[trans-mit, tranz-] / trænsˈmɪt, trænz- /

verb (used with object)

transmitted, transmitting

1. to send or forward, as to a recipient or destination; dispatch; convey.

   Synonyms:

   remit, transfer

2. to communicate, as information or news.

   Synonyms:

   bear

3. to pass or spread (disease, infection, etc.) to another.

4. to pass on (a genetic characteristic) from parent to offspring.

   The mother transmitted her red hair to her daughter.

5. Physics.

   1. to cause (light, heat, sound, etc.) to pass through a medium.

   2. to convey or pass along (an impulse, force, motion, etc.).

   3. to permit (light, heat, etc.) to pass through.

      Glass transmits light.

6. Radio and Television. to emit (electromagnetic waves).

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verb (used without object)

transmitted, transmitting

1. to send a signal by wire, radio, or television waves.

2. to pass on a right or obligation to heirs or descendants.

transmit British  

/ trænzˈmɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to pass or cause to go from one place or person to another; transfer

2. (tr) to pass on or impart (a disease, infection, etc)

3. (tr) to hand down to posterity

4. (tr; usually passive) to pass (an inheritable characteristic) from parent to offspring

5. to allow the passage of (particles, energy, etc)

   radio waves are transmitted through the atmosphere

6. 1. to send out (signals) by means of radio waves or along a transmission line

   2. to broadcast (a radio or television programme)

7. (tr) to transfer (a force, motion, power, etc) from one part of a mechanical system to another

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Synonym Usage

See carry.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• transmittible
  adjective
• pretransmit
  verb (used with object)
• retransmit
  verb (used with object)
• transmittable
  adjective
• untransmitted
  adjective
• transmittal
  noun
• nontransmittible
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of transmit

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English transmitten, from Latin trānsmittere “to send across,” from trāns- trans- + mittere “to send”

Explanation

If you’re an international spy, you might transmit secret messages using a special code written in invisible ink. If you aren’t a spy, you could probably just use email. Whatever your circumstances, when you transmit information, you send. You can transmit things from person to person or from one thing to another. The airwaves can be used to transmit radio or TV signals, for example, and computers can transmit messages over a network. This verb often describes messages or data being sent, but you can also transmit ideas, beliefs, or attitude. In addition, transmit can describe the spread of disease, like mosquitoes that can transmit disease when they bite.

Example Sentences

Now a vehicle will be able to electronically transmit information, such as its fuel level or rounds remaining.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

Scientists believe this unique characteristic could provide entirely new ways to encode, transmit, and process data.

From Science Daily • Jun. 2, 2026

We are in a moment when the institutions that produce and transmit knowledge—K–12 schools, universities, archives, and media outlets—are under sustained pressure.

From Slate • May 14, 2026

The Andes virus, which circulates in Argentina and Chile and is mainly spread among the long-tailed pygmy rice rat, is the only hantavirus strain known to be able to transmit from human to human.

From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026

The most important function of DNA—its capacity to transmit copies of information from cell to cell, and organism to organism—was buried in the structure.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Related Words

• address
• broadcast
• carry
• conduct
• convey
• disseminate
• impart
• pass on
• relay
• spread
• transfer
• translate
• transport