impedance
noun
im·​ped·​ance
| \ im-ˈpē-dᵊn(t)s
\
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Definition of impedance
a
: the apparent opposition in an electrical circuit to the flow of an alternating current that is analogous to the actual electrical resistance to a direct current and that is the ratio of effective electromotive force to the effective current
b
: the ratio of the pressure to the volume displacement at a given surface in a sound-transmitting medium
Examples of impedance in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There’s a button to enable 48-volt phantom power and what looks to be a switch for high-impedance headphones. — Gordon Mah Ung, PCWorld, "Exclusive first look: Creative Labs' high-end Sound BlasterX AE-9 breaks cover," 8 Dec. 2018 An especially helpful feature is the Klein meter's LoZ, or low impedance, setting. — Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, "Best New Tool: Klein Tools' Do-It-All Electrical Clamp Meter," 8 Jan. 2016 Low-impedance speakers put more stress on speaker wire, and not all speaker wire is intended for in-wall installations (though it should be clearly labeled either way). — Don Melanson, Popular Mechanics, "The Setup: Building a Great Home Entertainment System," 18 July 2018 The diaper could use these elements to measure the conductivity and impedance between various areas of the diaper that are in the potential blast zone. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "Alphabet’s Verily has a “smart diaper“ design that distinguishes pee from poo," 17 May 2018 However, devices won’t be able to receive power at that distance—impedance issues would make sending up to 10W impractical, Intel spokesperson Dave Salvatore said. — Ars Technica, WIRED, "Intel Says ‘Thunderbolt’ Optical Cables Due This Year," 12 Mar. 2012These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'impedance.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for impedance
impedance
noun
im·​ped·​ance
| \ im-ˈpēd-ᵊn(t)s
\
\
Medical Definition of impedance
1
: the apparent opposition in an electrical circuit to the flow of an alternating current that is analogous to the actual electrical resistance to a direct current and that is the ratio of effective electromotive force to the effective current
2
: the ratio of the pressure to the volume displacement at a given surface in a sound-transmitting medium
3
: opposition to blood flow in the circulatory system