regulator
noun
Simple meaning
A device that controls or limits something.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
rehgyuhlayterSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɹɛɡjəleɪtɚ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A device that controls or limits something.
rail transport
A device that controls the supply of steam to the cylinders of a steam locomotive.
A person or group that sets standards of practice, especially regulatory law as sanctioned by statutory law.
A very accurate clock, used by clockmakers to measure the timekeeping of each newly made clock.
Ellipsis of voltage regulator.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A device that controls or limits something.
Used this way, regulator is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use regulator
- “The gas regulator controls the flow of fuel to the stove.”
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A gene that produces a repressor substance that inhibits an operator gene.
A plant product that acts like a hormone.
The gene that is mutated in cystic fibrosis.
A transformer whose voltage ratio of transformation can be adjusted.
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What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.