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.

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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

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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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• transmitters
  plural

Etymology

Origin of transmitter

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

transmitter transmitters

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

For decades, proportional response functioned less as a strategy than a ritual: hit a transmitter, strike a barracks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026

Declining to specify where the transmitter is located, she said it is "closer to the Netherlands than to Iran" -- although Tehran "can figure it out" if they choose.

From Barron's ● Mar. 13, 2026

Also benefitting are the University of Strathclyde, to develop a satellite navigation system that doesn't rely on GPS, and Heriot-Watt University to help build a quantum communication transmitter for small satellites.

From BBC ● Dec. 3, 2025

Volkheimer trudges toward Werner lugging the big KX transmitter; he grows ever larger; he rests a huge mittened hand on Werner’s cap.

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

This year, conditions including a record-smashing March heat wave led to a surge in California’s native Culex mosquitoes, the transmitters of West Nile virus.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

Chip makers have “moved from market darlings to volatility transmitters over the past month,” as Asian leadership has shifted toward consumer discretionary, financials, and energy, Munnelly says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

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

But Iran said in 2016 it was reviving the technology, which requires a network of large ground-based transmitters, though experts have not confirmed it is active today.

From Barron's ● Mar. 16, 2026

As the Earth rotates, our more powerful radio transmitters slowly sweep the sky.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan