The box that makes an electrical signal stronger, so a quiet sound comes out loud. In music it is the thing between the guitar or the microphone and the speakers; guitarists shorten it to 'amp' and say 'plug into the amp'. Strictly the amplifier only pushes the signal up, and the speaker turns it into sound you can hear, but in ordinary talk people call the whole loud box an amplifier, and that is fine.

The box那個箱子（裝置） that makes an electrical signal stronger能讓電子訊號變強，so a quiet sound comes out loud讓原本小聲的聲音變大聲。In music在音樂裡，it is the thing between the guitar or the microphone and the speakers它是接在吉他或麥克風跟喇叭中間的東西；guitarists shorten it to 'amp'玩吉他的人會簡稱它「amp」，and say 'plug into the amp'說「plug into the amp」（接上音箱）。Strictly嚴格來說，the amplifier only pushes the signal upamplifier只負責把訊號推大，and the speaker turns it into sound you can hear是喇叭把它變成你聽得到的聲音；but in ordinary talk但一般講話時，people call the whole loud box an amplifier大家會把整個發出聲音的箱子都叫做amplifier，and that is fine這樣講也沒問題。

Beyond music, engineers use the word for anything that boosts a weak signal — a radio amplifier, a signal amplifier in a phone.

Beyond music除了音樂之外，engineers use the word工程師也會用這個字 for anything that boosts a weak signal來指任何能把微弱訊號放大的東西：a radio amplifier像radio amplifier（無線電放大器）、a signal amplifier in a phone或手機裡的signal amplifier（訊號放大器）。

The verb behind it is 'amplify', and that verb has grown a second, non-electrical life: to amplify a message, a fear, or a small problem means to make it bigger and reach further. 'Social media amplified the rumour.' That figurative use is now very common in the news, and it is worth knowing because it appears far more often than the machine does.

The verb behind it它背後的動詞 is 'amplify'是'amplify'，and that verb has grown a second, non-electrical life而這個動詞後來又發展出第二種、跟電子無關的用法：to amplify a message, a fear, or a small problem放大一個訊息、恐懼、或小問題，means to make it bigger and reach further意思是讓它變得更大、傳得更遠。'Social media amplified the rumour.'「Social media amplified the rumour.」（社群媒體把這個謠言放大了）That figurative use這種比喻用法 is now very common in the news現在在新聞裡非常常見，and it is worth knowing值得知道的是，because it appears far more often than the machine does它出現的頻率比講機器那個意思常多了。