Definition

1. Noun:
   • A device for heating a room: A radiator is a household heating appliance, typically made of metal with a series of pipes or fins, through which hot water or steam circulates to warm the surrounding air.
   • A device for cooling an engine: In vehicles, a radiator is a key part of the cooling system. It consists of a network of small tubes and fins that transfers heat from the engine's coolant to the outside air.
   • An object that emits energy: In a general scientific sense, a radiator is any object that emits or radiates energy, such as heat, light, or electromagnetic waves.

Usage Examples

• For room heating:
  • We turned on the radiator to warm up the cold bedroom.
  • The old cast-iron radiator in the hallway clanked when the heat came on.
• For engine cooling:
  • The car overheated because there was a leak in the radiator.
  • Mechanics often check the radiator fluid level during a service.
• General scientific use:
  • The sun is the most important heat radiator for our planet. (This usage is more technical.)

Advanced Usage

• "Bleed a radiator": To release trapped air from a water-filled home heating radiator to ensure it heats efficiently.
  • You need to bleed the radiator if the top part feels cold.
• "Radiator grille": The protective, often decorative, front part of a vehicle that allows air to flow to the radiator.
  • The new model features a more aggressive-looking radiator grille.

Variants and Related Words

• Radiate (verb): To emit energy, heat, or light from a central point.
  • The fireplace radiated warmth throughout the room.
• Radiation (noun): The process of emitting energy as waves or particles.
  • The patient received radiation therapy.
• Radiator cap: The sealed cap on a vehicle's radiator.
• Radiator hose: The flexible tube that carries coolant to and from the radiator.

Synonyms

• Heater (specifically for the room-heating meaning).
• Heat exchanger (a more technical term for the cooling device).
• Emitter (for the general meaning of something that radiates energy).

Related Idioms

• "Blow a gasket / Have a radiator blowout": While not a single idiom for "radiator," these are common, related expressions for a vehicle overheating or a cooling system failing catastrophically.
  • On the steep mountain road, the old truck finally blew a gasket. (This implies a failure, often related to overheating).

Noun

1. a mechanism consisting of a metal honeycomb through which hot fluids circulate; heat is transferred from the fluid through the honeycomb to the airstream that is created either by the motion of the vehicle or by a fan
2. heater consisting of a series of pipes for circulating steam or hot water to heat rooms or buildings
3. any object that radiates energy