vocoder

American

[voh-koh-der] / ˈvoʊˌkoʊ dər /

noun

an electronic device that synthesizes speech.

vocoder British

/ ˈvəʊˌkəʊdə /

noun

music a type of synthesizer that uses the human voice as an oscillator

"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

Etymology

Origin of vocoder

First recorded in 1935–40

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:

vocoder

She’s known for a soft, whispery vocal tone that occasionally detonates into a scream—here, it’s robotized via vocoder to suggest coldness and distance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

The vocoder styling flourish of closing track “Into the Sun” gives one final mood shift as the almost achingly sweet vocals and lyrics transport listeners to a realm of sentiment and gratitude.

From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026

As guitarists plucked the tune of “Sabor a Mí,” a classic Mexican bolero, he began to sing, his voice transformed through a vocoder to eerie and achingly modern effect.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2023

In the first Royal Plum session for that album, Musgraves played Tashian the Bee Gees; he pulled out a vocoder.

From New York Times ● Aug. 26, 2021

Mike switched off the vocoder, flipped his intercom to the temporary galley in the morgue, and ordered two breakfasts readied.

From Where I Wasn't Going by Walt Richmond

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023