stereo

¹ American  

[ster-ee-oh, steer-] / ˈstɛr iˌoʊ, ˈstɪər- /

noun

plural

stereos

1. stereoscopic photography.

2. a stereoscopic photograph.

3. stereophonic sound reproduction.

4. a system or the equipment for reproducing stereophonic sound.

5. Printing. stereotype.

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adjective

1. pertaining to stereophonic sound, stereoscopic photography, etc.

verb (used with object)

1. Printing. stereotype.

stereo- ² American  

especially before a vowel, stere-.

1. a combining form borrowed from Greek, where it meant “solid”, used with reference to hardness, solidity, three-dimensionality in the formation of compound words.

   stereochemistry; stereogram; stereoscope.

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stereo. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. stereotype.

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stereo ¹ British  

/ ˈstɪər-, ˈstɛrɪəʊ /

adjective

1. short for stereophonic stereoscopic

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noun

1. stereophonic sound

   to broadcast in stereo

2. a stereophonic record player, tape recorder, etc

3. photog

   1. stereoscopic photography

   2. a stereoscopic photograph

4. printing short for stereotype

stereo- ² British  

combining form

1. indicating three-dimensional quality or solidity

   stereoscope

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Etymology

Origin of stereo¹

First recorded in 1815–25; by shortening

Origin of stereo-²

From the Greek word stereós

Explanation

A sound system with speakers that makes music seem to come from several directions at once—almost like it's all around you—is called a stereo. Your older brother should have set aside some money for food and rent instead of blowing his whole paycheck on a new stereo system. The kind of sound that's layered and three-dimensional is stereo sound, and the machine you use to play this type of recording is also called a stereo. The word is shorthand for stereophonic, which describes something recorded using two or more channels so that the sound seems to surround the listener and come from more than one source. You can also break this word into its Greek roots, stereo, "solid or three-dimensional," and phone, "voice."

Example Sentences

One of the latest entrants is Slate Auto, a startup that plans to offer a compact electric truck that eschew tech extras as much as possible—even lacking a stereo and power windows—for about $25,000.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

"It gives us what you might call a stereo perspective -- two different vantage points simultaneously."

From Science Daily • Mar. 14, 2026

His first successful repair was for his Teac CX-311, a compact stereo cassette player/recorder that he still owns.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2026

The tough thing about this is there’s a lot of nuance, and the best way to think about a criminal justice system is to think about it like an old-school stereo.

From Slate • Aug. 13, 2025

Puff Daddy and Mase poured from the stereo, the bass thumping so loud she could feel it in her throat, then faded back to make way for Notorious B.I.G.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

Related Words

• audio system
• radio
• sound system