contactor

From contact + -or.

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈkɑntæktɚ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkɒntæktə/

contactor (plural contactors)

1. (electrical engineering) A relay used to control an electrical power circuit
   • 1951 January, “Diesel-Electric Branch-Line Locomotive for British Railways”, in Railway Magazine, page 71:

     Compressed air is used for the operation of certain contactors, the sanders, the horn, and the re-fuelling equipment, but vacuum brakes are fitted to the locomotive.

• circuit breaker

Borrowed from French contacteur.

contactor n (plural contactoare)

1. contactor

• IPA^(key): /kontaɡˈtoɾ/ [kõn̪.t̪aɣ̞ˈt̪oɾ]
• Rhymes: -oɾ
• Syllabification: con‧tac‧tor

contactor (feminine contactora, masculine plural contactores, feminine plural contactoras)

1. contacting

contactor m (plural contactores)

1. contactor

• “contactor”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025