peripheral
adjective
pe·riph·er·al
| \ pə-ˈri-f(ə-)rəl
\
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Definition of peripheral
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: of, relating to, involving, or forming a periphery or surface part
2a
: of, relating to, affecting, or being part of the peripheral nervous system
peripheral nerves peripheral neuritis
b
: of, relating to, or being blood in the systemic circulation
peripheral lymphocytes
3
: of, relating to, or being the outer part of the field of vision
good peripheral vision
4
: auxiliary, supplementary
peripheral equipment
also
: of or relating to computer peripherals
peripheral
nounDefinition of peripheral (Entry 2 of 2)
: a device connected to a computer to provide communication (such as input and output) or auxiliary functions (such as additional storage)
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Synonyms & Antonyms for peripheral
Synonyms: Adjective
accessorial, accessory, appurtenant, auxiliary, supplemental, supplementary
Antonyms: Adjective
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Examples of peripheral in a Sentence
Adjective
If we focus too much on peripheral issues, we will lose sight of the goal. peripheral devices such as modems and scanners He saw in his peripheral vision that a car was trying to pass him.
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
But the audience will also be flanked by five LED screens on each side that will flood moviegoers’ peripheral vision. — Los Angeles Times, "Newsletter: California Inc.: Hollywood awaits film about its favorite subject — Hollywood," 22 July 2019 The black book contains more than 1,000 names, ranging from close friends like Wexner to peripheral contacts from the worlds of politics, business, the media and European high society. — oregonlive, "After billionaire Epstein’s arrest on sex trafficking, prosecutors warn his ‘Lolita Express’ pals to come forward," 9 July 2019 These wave findings suggest that vision is the main influence on individual rider behavior because riders want to keep neighbors within the range of peripheral vision most sensitive to motion. — Rachel Berkowitz, Scientific American, "How Vision Helps Cyclists Communicate in a Pack," 1 Mar. 2019 Hospital officials said the conditions can typically result in symptoms such as the loss of ability to see detail, constant double vision or a lack of peripheral vision. — Mike Glenn, Houston Chronicle, "Katy clinic strives to help vision-impaired children," 23 July 2019 Other peripheral investments by Airbnb signal other means of attracting business travelers. — Patrick Sisson, Curbed, "Airbnb bets big on business travelers," 13 Aug. 2019 Girls and women were often outnumbered and peripheral, siloed as the love interest. — Aisha Harris, New York Times, "‘Superbad’ & Me," 6 Aug. 2019 The prosthesis returns function and feeling to its users by signaling the nervous system via peripheral nerve stimulation, a process that utilizes an aspirin-sized implant to deliver sensory information and feedback to LUKE. — Daisy Hernandez, Popular Mechanics, "The Star Wars-Inspired Robotic Arm That Gives Amputees a Sense of Touch," 26 July 2019 What this means in practice is that what would be peripheral elsewhere is central here. — Los Angeles Times, "Review: A Quentin Tarantino skeptic takes great pleasure in ‘Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood’," 24 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Paired with the right peripherals—a quick and responsive mouse, a mechanical keyboard, and a good headset—a gaming PC can transform any desk into a battle station, an altar to a gods of glass, aluminum, and plastic. — Wired, "These Gaming PCs Will Turn Any Desk Into a Battle Station," 7 Sep. 2019 Those at the peripherals will be grasping for a moment to shine. — Renae Reints, Fortune, "What to Expect From Tonight’s Democratic Debate," 31 July 2019 Even as the show delves into the Whisperers from the comics with a mysterious organization marked by three rings lingering in the peripheral, Lincoln’s presence lives on. — Nick Romano, EW.com, "The Walking Dead cast pay tribute to Andrew Lincoln in season 9 Blu-ray clip," 19 Aug. 2019 In addition to making PC peripherals, like gaming mice, headsets, and keyboards, Corsair already caters toward the custom build market with popular internal components, like power supply units and RAM. — Cameron Faulkner, The Verge, "Corsair has acquired enthusiast PC builder Origin PC," 24 July 2019 But Strasburg has amassed 25 more innings pitched than Soroka, who boasts superior peripherals but over the equivalent of four fewer starts. — Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, "Xander Bogaerts, Max Muncy among the biggest MLB All-Star Game snubs," 26 June 2019 Browsing through the catalog is a fascinating glimpse into NeXT’s software, user interface, peripherals, and more. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "Page through computer history with this complete scan of NeXT’s Fall 1989 catalog," 14 July 2019 But in 2016, when agents seized the iPhone Esformes used to text Singer and obtained their messages, Singer was a peripheral, if curious, player in an enormous healthcare fraud investigation. — Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, "FBI found clues to college admissions scandal years earlier in massive Medicare fraud case," 26 July 2019 The underlying peripherals are also plenty comforting. — Jon Tayler, SI.com, "Pitching Career on Hold, Shohei Ohtani the Hitter Is as Good as Ever," 13 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'peripheral.' 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 peripheral
peripheral
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of peripheral
(Entry 1 of 2)
formal
: not relating to the main or most important part
computers
: connected to a computer but not an essential part of it
: of or relating to the area that is to the side of the area you are looking at
peripheral
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of peripheral (Entry 2 of 2)
computers
: a piece of equipment (such as a printer, speaker, etc.) that is connected to a computer but is not an essential part of it
See the full definition for peripheral in the English Language Learners Dictionary
peripheral
adjective
pe·riph·er·al
| \ pə-ˈrif-(ə-)rəl
\
\