stereo
noun · adjective · verb
Simple meaning
A system of recording or reproducing sound that uses two or more channels.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
stehreeohSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈstɛɹioʊ
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 system of recording or reproducing sound that uses two or more channels, each playing a portion of the original sound at different locations in order to simulate the separation of sources along at least one spatial dimension.
A solar observation mission, consisting of two identical spacecraft, that will provide stereoscopic imaging of the Sun.
adjective
Of a pair of images: one depicting the view as would be seen from one eye and the other from the other eye, so that when viewed appropriately, they combine to give an impression of three dimensions.
Of sound, music, etc, recorded in stereo.
verb
transitive
To create a stereophotographic image of.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A system of recording or reproducing sound that uses two or more channels, each playing a portion of the original sound at different locations in order to simulate the separation of sources along at least one spatial dimension.
Used this way, stereo is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It turns up most in technical or specialist writing contexts.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Where it naturally appears
- Technical/specialist writing
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use stereo
- “He bought a new stereo system for listening to his favorite music.”noun
Share your sentence
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.
Reproducer in which two microphones feed two or more loudspeakers to give a three-dimensional effect to the sound.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
- playbacknoun
- cassettenoun
- mixverb
- microphonenoun
- fidelitynoun
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “stereo” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
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.