Definition of "electromagnet" [electromagnet]

• A magnet consisting essentially of a coil of insulated wire wrapped around a soft iron core that is magnetized only when current flows through the wire. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "An electromagnet is created when a piece of iron is coiled with a wire and electricity is passed through the coiled wire."
• "This construction results in what is known as the _tubular_ or _iron-clad_ electromagnet, which is shown in section and in end view in Fig. 94."
• "The other arm carries a wire coil attached to an electric circuit-in other words, an electromagnet."