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⬇️ A decrease 🔌 Voltage reducer
step-down

step-down

1 5.5
A device like a transformer that lowers electrical voltage
  • noun
  • /ˈstɛpˌdaʊn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : transformador reductor
  • I haven't used this step down transformer before so hopefully it's going to work OK.

So it's like a step down converter type thing.

Examples

  • Samuel wasn’t taken to Emergency, but to a way station off cardiology, a critical care step-down unit.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • So it's a very big amount of, you know, the voltage step down is gigantic.

  • So it's like a step down converter type thing.

    My Mate VINCE

  • The aluminum is the secondary of a step down transformer.

  • Step-down transformers (not all of which are shown in the figure) decrease the voltages delivered to consumers.

    Academic text (2004)

  • The pediatric step-down ICU is festooned with photos of its long-term patients.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • The step-down transformer reduces the voltage from 240 volts to 120 volts for safe household use.

  • We need a step-down device to lower the current before connecting it to the sensitive equipment.

  • Engineers often use a step-down to ensure that the power supply matches the required specifications.

Synonyms

stepdown
vsstep-down
  • Specialized
5.8

A device that lowers high electrical voltage to a safer level

is the same in meaning but written with a hyphen instead
step-down transformer
vsstep-down
  • Specialized
5.6

A device that lowers high electric voltage so appliances work safely

is broader, covering circuits that reduce voltage or current in many ways

Surface Forms

step-down singular
step-downs plural

Morphology

step-down = step (transparent) = down + step

The technical device is named for its function of 'stepping down' voltage or current (step + down), so learners who know the phrasal verb can infer the device's function. [Postprocessing: moved 'down' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

Step-down for a device uses the same image of moving 'down' by 'steps' to a lower level, where down means 'lower'. That's why a step-down unit lowers electricity from a higher level to a smaller, safer level.