airwaves

American  

[air-weyvz] / ˈɛərˌweɪvz /

plural noun

1. the media of radio and television broadcasting.

   The airwaves were filled with news flashes about the crisis.

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airwaves British  

/ ˈɛəˌweɪvz /

plural noun

1. informal radio waves used in radio and television broadcasting

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Etymology

Origin of airwaves

1895–1900, for earlier sense; air ¹ + waves (plural of wave )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

airwaves

One of the earliest to take to the air and the airwaves regularly in Southern California was also the first to die in that duty: Captain Max.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

This time last year – also a warm spring and hot summer – the media airwaves were filled with “plagues of wasps” stories.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026

I have lived and worked with multiple sclerosis for 26 years, almost as long as I have been a BBC Scotland journalist, but recently I have been absent from the airwaves.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

Graham benefited from not just Trump’s endorsement but a significant funding advantage over Norman, as well as from outside groups flooding the airwaves on her behalf.

From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026

At 9:15 a.m., the voice of NBC’s commentator, Bill Slater, began to crackle over KOMO’s airwaves in Seattle, relayed from Berlin.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown