cochlear implant

American

noun

a device consisting of microelectrodes that deliver electrical stimuli directly to the auditory nerve when surgically implanted into the cochlea, enabling a person with sensorineural deafness to hear.

cochlear implant British

/ ˈkɒklɪə /

noun

a device that stimulates the acoustic nerve in the inner ear in order to produce some form of hearing in people who are deaf from inner ear disease

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

cochlear implant Scientific

/ kŏk′lē-ər /

A surgically implanted electronic device that allows people with severe hearing loss to recognize some sounds. It consists chiefly of a microphone and receiver, a processor that converts speech into electronic signals, and an array of electrodes that transmit the signals to the auditory nerve in the inner ear.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Oliver grew up in a deaf family where BSL was his first language so he "didn't feel the need" to get a hearing aid or a cochlear implant.

From BBC

Oliver says Tasha is a "brilliant representative" of somebody that uses a cochlear implant - a small electronic device that helps her to hear - within mainstream media.

From BBC

George's audiologist is voiced by Jodie Ounsley, also known as Fury from Gladiators, who uses a cochlear implant.

From BBC

Jodie, who is profoundly deaf and was fitted with a cochlear implant at a young age, credits their support for shaping who she is today.

From BBC

Speaking ahead of the final, Ghouri said her time on Strictly had been "an absolute dream, especially bedazzling my cochlear implant".

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023