CONVERTER

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does converter mean? 

• CONVERTER (noun)
  The noun CONVERTER has 1 sense:

1. a device for changing one substance or form or state into another

  Familiarity information: CONVERTER used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CONVERTER (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A device for changing one substance or form or state into another

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

converter; convertor

Hypernyms ("converter" is a kind of...):

device (an instrumentality invented for a particular purpose)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "converter"):

Bessemer converter (a refractory-lined furnace used to convert pig iron into steel by the Bessemer process)

catalytic converter (a converter that uses a platinum-iridium catalyst to oxidize pollutants and carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide and water; an antipollution device on an automotive exhaust system)

data converter (converter for changing information from one code to another)

electrical converter (converter that converts alternating current into direct current or vice versa)

electronic converter ((telecommunication) converter for converting a signal from one frequency to another)

torque converter (converter for transmitting and amplifying torque (especially by hydraulic means))

Derivation:

convert (change in nature, purpose, or function; undergo a chemical change)

convert (change from one system to another or to a new plan or policy)

 Context examples 

The team evaluated blood from 40 separate participants, including 10 converters.

(Study Points to Possible Blood Test For Memory Decline, Alzheimer’s, NIH)

In the study’s third year, the scientists used advanced technologies to analyze the blood of 53 participants (including 18 converters) who had either impaired memory or Alzheimer’s disease.

(Study Points to Possible Blood Test For Memory Decline, Alzheimer’s, NIH)

The researchers classified this group as “converters.”

(Study Points to Possible Blood Test For Memory Decline, Alzheimer’s, NIH)