# peripheral

/pɝˈɪfɝəɫ/ (US) · /pəɹˈɪfəɹəl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/peripheral
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. on the edge

adjective · CEFR B2

located on the edge or outer part of something.

For teachers: relating to or situated on the edge or periphery of an area or object.

- The town has many small shops in the peripheral areas away from the center.
- The development of peripheral housing estates has significantly increased the daily commute for those working in the city's financial district.

### 2. not the main focus

adjective · CEFR C1 · Academic

not as important as the main part of a situation or problem.

For teachers: of secondary or minor importance; marginal to the core issue.

- The cost of the project is a peripheral issue compared to its environmental impact.
- While the historical context is interesting, it remains peripheral to the primary objective of this scientific study.

### 3. vision

adjective · CEFR C1 · Technical

related to what you can see out of the corner of your eye.

For teachers: relating to the outer edges of the field of vision.

- I saw a sudden movement in my peripheral vision and turned my head.
- The patient reported a gradual loss of peripheral vision, which prompted the specialist to test for early signs of glaucoma.

### 4. computer equipment

noun · CEFR B2

a piece of equipment, like a printer or keyboard, that you connect to a computer.

For teachers: any auxiliary device that connects to and works with a computer to put information into it or get information out of it.

- The price of the computer does not include peripherals like a monitor or mouse.
- Modern operating systems are designed to recognise and configure most peripherals automatically as soon as they are plugged into a USB port.

## Examples

- I need to buy a new peripheral for my gaming setup.
- The technician checked every peripheral, including the scanner and the external hard drive, to find the connection error.
- Modern operating systems use plug-and-play technology to automatically detect and configure almost any peripheral, significantly reducing the manual labor once required for hardware installation.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.