electromagnet

[ ih-lek-troh-mag-nit ]

noun

1. a device consisting of an iron or steel core that is magnetized by electric current in a coil that surrounds it.

electromagnet

/ ɪˌlɛktrəʊˈmæɡnɪt /

noun

1. a magnet consisting of an iron or steel core wound with a coil of wire, through which a current is passed

electromagnet

/ ĭ-lĕk′trō-măg′nĭt /

1. A device consisting of a coil of insulated wire wrapped around an iron core that becomes magnetized when an electric current flows through the wire. Electromagnets are used to convert electrical control signals into mechanical movements.
2. See Note at magnetism

electromagnet

¹

1. A magnet created by passing an electric current (see also current ) through coils of wire. Such magnets are widely used in common electrical systems.

electromagnet

²

1. A magnet created by passing an electric current (see also current ) through coils of wire. Electromagnets are widely used in common electrical systems.

Word History and Origins

Origin of electromagnet¹

First recorded in 1815–25; electro- + magnet

Example Sentences

Rather than using a beam of light to probe a sample, electron microscopes use a beam of electrons, focused by electromagnets.

From Science Daily

And because, according to the basic laws of physics, a circulating current always generates a magnetic field, the graphene disks mutated into tiny electromagnets.

From Science Daily

It turns the neutron star into an extremely strong electromagnet.

From Science Daily

She steals an electromagnet from the junkyard in order to snag a meteor out of the sky during a shower, for vaguely nefarious power-mad reasons.

From Los Angeles Times

To generate the field, a standard scanner employs a large, powerful superconducting electromagnet that pushes a machine’s cost to $1.5 million or more, pricing MRI out of reach of 70% of the world’s population.

From Science Magazine