What does "rheostat" mean?

An electrical resistor, with two terminals, whose resistance is continuously variable by moving a knob or slider.

How do you pronounce "rheostat"?

Pronounced //ˈɹiː.ə.stat//.

Common synonyms include: device, dimmer, electrical parts and devices, generator, parts, radio receiver.

//ˈɹiː.ə.stat// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Noun

1
An electrical resistor, with two terminals, whose resistance is continuously variable by moving a knob or slider.
2
resistor for regulating current wordnet

From rheo- + -stat.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.