radiator

American  

[ray-dee-ay-ter] / ˈreɪ diˌeɪ tər /

noun

• radiators
  plural

1. a person or thing that radiates.

2. any of various heating devices, as a series or coil of pipes through which steam or hot water passes.

3. a device constructed from thin-walled tubes and metal fins, used for cooling circulating water, as in an automobile engine.

4. Radio. a transmitting antenna.

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radiator British  

/ ˈreɪdɪˌeɪtə /

noun

1. a device for heating a room, building, etc, consisting of a series of pipes through which hot water or steam passes

2. a device for cooling an internal-combustion engine, consisting of thin-walled tubes through which water passes. Heat is transferred from the water through the walls of the tubes to the airstream, which is created either by the motion of the vehicle or by a fan

3. an electric fire

4. electronics the part of an aerial or transmission line that radiates electromagnetic waves

5. an electric space heater

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radiator Scientific  

/ rā′dē-ā′tər /

1. A body that emits radiation. Radiators are commonly designed to transfer heat energy from one place to another, as in an automobile, in which the radiator cools the engine by transferring heat energy from the engine to the air, or in buildings, where radiators transfer heat energy from a furnace to the air and objects in the surrounding room.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• radiators
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of radiator

First recorded in 1830–40; radiate + -or ²

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Explanation

A room in an old house is often heated by a radiator, a metal device made up of pipes that circulate steam or hot water. If your house is heated with radiators, there will usually be one in each room, all connected to a central heating system. A radiator gets hot, and it sends that heat out into the room — in other words, it radiates heat. In fact, the word radiator originally meant "anything that radiates," including heat, light, or energy. By the 1850's, radiator had come to primarily mean "heater in a building or house."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

radiator radiators

This describes how the color of an object compares with that of an ideal radiator at a particular temperature.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026

The 61st floor, whose exterior features a tribute to the radiator caps of early Chrysler vehicles, is to be converted into a dining space with access to outdoor terraces.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

Many marmot problems appear to revolve around their appetite for salt, which they find on sweat-stained hiking poles and backpack straps as well as radiator fluid, said Blumstein, an ecology and evolutionary biology professor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

In the colder months, one radiator is now sufficient to heat Baeli's entire four-bedroom home over three floor she says, because heat is now not being lost.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

I think even the hissing of the radiator stopped.

From "Harbor Me" by Jacqueline Woodson

These include checking whether your energy supplier offers cheaper prices at off-peak times, bleeding your radiators so that they're more efficient, and turning your heating up in small increments until you reach the right temperature.

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

For example, while one TPU is a few inches wide, radiators of future satellites could be the size of a Boeing 747, said Elbert.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

Ban daytime heat indoors: Appliances are secret radiators.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026

However, those thermal radiators would require a large amount of surface area, and that would be in addition to the area required by the solar panels.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 19, 2026

Then I finish painting between the radiators, eat one last block of fudge, and lose twenty-five pounds.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

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