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transmitter

American  
[trans-mit-er, tranz-] / trænsˈmɪt ər, trænz- /

noun

  • transmitters
    plural
  1. a person or thing that transmits.

  2. Also called transmitting set. Radio. a device for sending electromagnetic waves; the part of a broadcasting apparatus that generates and modulates the radiofrequency current and conveys it to the antenna.

  3. the part of a telephonic or telegraphic apparatus that converts sound waves or mechanical movements into corresponding electric waves or impulses.

  4. Biochemistry. neurotransmitter.


transmitter British  
/ trænzˈmɪtə /

noun

  1. a person or thing that transmits

  2. the equipment used for generating and amplifying a radio-frequency carrier, modulating the carrier with information, and feeding it to an aerial for transmission

  3. the microphone in a telephone that converts sound waves into audio-frequency electrical signals

  4. a device that converts mechanical movements into coded electrical signals transmitted along a telegraph circuit

  5. physiol short for neurotransmitter

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

transmitter Scientific  
/ trăns′mĭt-ər /
  1. A device that converts sound, light, or electrical signals into radio, microwave, or other electrical signals of sufficient strength for the purpose of telecommunication.

  2. Compare receiver


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of transmitter

First recorded in 1720–30; transmit + -er 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

He secretly took the American's backpack, containing his MacBook, a satellite transmitter and other personal items, for regime operatives to look through, multiple sources say.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Wise said that it continues to operate normally under existing money transmitter licenses across 48 U.S. states and four territories.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

The assumption has been that an extraterrestrial transmitter would produce a highly concentrated signal that stands out from natural background noise.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 16, 2026

All one needs is "another radio transmitter that can broadcast on the same frequency, but louder," she said, which creates "a wall of mush."

From Barron's ● Mar. 8, 2026

Three times now they have gone out into the snow to track down Volkheimers transmitter, and each time they have found him more directly.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Jamming of foreign broadcasts was pioneered by Nazi Germany during World War Two, using noise or signals from more powerful transmitters located closer to the listeners.

From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2026

In January, FinCEN issued an order requiring banks and money transmitters in two Minnesota counties to file information about overseas transactions greater than $3,000, far lower than the normal $10,000 threshold for flagging cash transactions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 24, 2026

The agency's transmitters began sending out "involuntary signal emissions", YPA said.

From Barron's ● Jan. 13, 2026

Between 2017 and 2023, the Arizona-based research team used satellite transmitters to follow 24 newly fledged Bald Eagles and two nonbreeding adults and to map how they moved within and beyond the state.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 11, 2025

Some of our most powerful sources are radar transmitters; a few are used for radar astronomy, to probe with radio fingers the surfaces of the nearby planets.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

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