# transformer

/tɹænsˈfɔɹmɝ/ (US) · /tɹænsfˈɔːmɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/transformer
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. electrical device

noun · CEFR B2 · Technical

a piece of equipment that changes the voltage of an electric current.

For teachers: a static apparatus that transfers electrical energy between circuits through electromagnetic induction, typically to change voltage levels.

- The power lines use a transformer to lower the voltage before electricity enters your home.
- High-voltage transmission requires a step-down transformer at the local substation to ensure the current is safe for residential distribution.

Usage: Often used with 'step-up' or 'step-down' to indicate whether voltage is being increased or decreased.

### 2. something that changes shape

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal

a person or thing that changes the shape or character of something else.

For teachers: an agent, person, or mechanism that effects a significant change in the form, nature, or appearance of something.

- The new CEO was a transformer who completely changed how the company worked.
- The artist viewed the kiln not just as a tool, but as a transformer of raw clay into permanent sculpture.

### 3. AI architecture

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a type of computer system used in AI to understand and generate text or images.

For teachers: a deep learning model architecture that relies on the mechanism of attention to weigh the influence of different parts of input data.

- Modern AI tools like chatbots are built using a transformer architecture.
- The introduction of the transformer model revolutionised natural language processing by allowing for more efficient parallelization than previous recurrent networks.

### 4. toy or fictional robot

noun · CEFR B1 · Informal

a toy robot that can be folded or changed into a vehicle or animal.

For teachers: a fictional alien robot or associated toy capable of mechanically shifting between a humanoid form and an alternative mode, such as a vehicle.

- The child spent all afternoon changing his transformer from a robot into a yellow car.
- The franchise became a global phenomenon, centered on the conflict between two factions of transformers that could disguise themselves as everyday machinery.

Teaching tip: When referring to the brand or the specific characters, it is usually capitalized as 'Transformer'.

## Examples

- The transformer on the pole reduces the voltage for the neighborhood.
- You need a travel transformer to use your hair dryer safely in a country with different electrical standards.
- High-voltage electricity is transmitted over long distances to minimize energy loss, then passed through a step-down transformer before entering residential distribution lines.

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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.