Jump To:

• radio
  radio

  noun

  wireless telegraphy or telephony.
• radio-
  radio-

  a combining form with the meanings “dealing with radiant energy” (radiometer ), “employing or dealing with radio waves” (radioacoustics; radiolocation; radiotelephone ), “emitting rays as a result of the breakup of atomic nuclei” (radioactive; radiocarbon ), “characterized by, employing or dealing with such rays” (radiography; radiopaque; radiotherapy ).

radio

¹ American  

[rey-dee-oh] / ˈreɪ diˌoʊ /

noun

• radios
  plural

1. wireless telegraphy or telephony.

   speeches broadcast by radio.

2. an apparatus for receiving or transmitting radio broadcasts.

3. a message transmitted by radio.

---

adjective

1. pertaining to, used in, or sent by radio.

2. pertaining to or employing radiations, as of electrical energy.

verb (used with object)

• radios,
  present (3rd person singular)
• radioed,
  past participle,  past
• radioing
  present participle

1. to transmit (a message, music, etc.) by radio.

2. to send a message to (a person) by radio.

verb (used without object)

• radios,
  present (3rd person singular)
• radioed,
  past participle,  past
• radioing
  present participle

1. to transmit a message, music, etc., by radio.

radio- ² American  

1. a combining form with the meanings “dealing with radiant energy” (radiometer ), “employing or dealing with radio waves” (radioacoustics; radiolocation; radiotelephone ), “emitting rays as a result of the breakup of atomic nuclei” (radioactive; radiocarbon ), “characterized by, employing or dealing with such rays” (radiography; radiopaque; radiotherapy ).

---

radio ¹ British  

/ ˈreɪdɪəʊ /

noun

1. the use of electromagnetic waves, lying in the radio-frequency range, for broadcasting, two-way communications, etc

2. Also called (esp Brit): wireless.  an electronic device designed to receive, demodulate, and amplify radio signals from sound broadcasting stations, etc

3. a similar device permitting both transmission and reception of radio signals for two-way communications

4. the broadcasting, content, etc, of sound radio programmes

   he thinks radio is poor these days

5. 1. the occupation or profession concerned with any aspect of the broadcasting of sound radio programmes

      he's in radio

   2. (modifier) relating to, produced for, or transmitted by sound radio

      radio drama

6. short for radiotelegraph radiotelegraphy radiotelephone

7. (modifier)

   1. of, relating to, employed in, or sent by radio signals

      a radio station

   2. of, concerned with, using, or operated by radio frequencies

      radio spectrum

8. (modifier) (of a motor vehicle) equipped with a radio for communication

   radio car

---

verb

1. to transmit (a message) to (a person, radio station, etc) by means of radio waves

radio- ² British  

combining form

1. denoting radio, broadcasting, or radio frequency

   radiogram

2. indicating radioactivity or radiation

   radiochemistry

   radiolucent

3. indicating a radioactive isotope or substance

   radioactinium

   radiothorium

   radioelement

---

radio Scientific  

/ rā′dē-ō /

1. The equipment used to generate, alter, transmit, and receive radio waves so that they carry information.

---

1. Relating to or involving the emission of radio waves.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preradio
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• radios
  plural

Participles

• radioing
  present
• radioed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• radio
  simple
• radios
  simple
• have radioed
  perfect
• has radioed
  perfect
• am radioing
  progressive
• are radioing
  progressive
• is radioing
  progressive
• have been radioing
  perfect progressive
• has been radioing
  perfect progressive

Past

• radioed
  simple
• had radioed
  perfect
• was radioing
  progressive
• were radioing
  progressive
• had been radioing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will radio
  simple
• will have radioed
  perfect
• will be radioing
  progressive
• will have been radioing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of radio¹

1910–15; shortening of radiotelegraph or radiotelegraphy

Origin of radio-²

< French, combining form representing Latin radius beam, ray, radius

Explanation

Radio is a way of transmitting sound using electromagnetic waves called radio waves. Nowadays, people usually only listen to the radio as they drive, but — before television — radio provided prime-time entertainment. When you turn on your car radio, you probably take for granted the many choices of music and talk stations you can choose from. The radio's electronic components do the amazing job of catching fast-moving radio waves in the air and translating them into sounds you can hear. Radios were originally called wireless because they transmit energy using waves instead of wires. The Latin root of radio is radius, "beam."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

radio radio- radios radioed radioing

Throughout the crisis, Kiritsis made live calls to Fred Heckman, a local AM radio news broadcaster, pleading to listeners for the justice he believed he was due.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

After a brief period in her homeland, he was raised in north London and honed his craft on pirate radio.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

For decades, America has been a cultural centre of gravity that is difficult to avoid, with many Canadian actors working in Hollywood and Canadian radio stations playing US music.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

They’re as far away as a couple of thousand feet over your head, and as close as your radio and cellphone.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

“Well, we intercept German radio messages at listening posts. Motorcycle couriers bring stacks of messages here all day and night. But we can’t read them.”

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

Surgery cures most breast cancer - but if some disease remains, chemo-, radio- and endocrine therapy can reduce the long-term risk of dying.

From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2023

The cooling water picks up radio- nuclides, many of which are then captured by a specially developed filtering process.

From Science Magazine ● Jan. 23, 2023

This 263-dish radio- and millimeter-wave interferometer will observe star-forming regions, active black holes and light associated with exploding stars with 10 times the sensitivity and resolution of the VLA.

From Scientific American ● Nov. 16, 2021

Crestview, a New York-based private-equity firm, created a strategic partnership with Cumulus in April to invest in radio- broadcasting companies.

From BusinessWeek ● Mar. 10, 2011

All these consequences of radiation have been duplicated in laboratory studies by a large group of chemicals known as radio- mimetic or radiation-imitating.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Car radios were still uncommon, but one afternoon, the airborne commander spent 20 minutes chewing out a Sunday driver he saw weaving and dodging through a traffic jam in Queens.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

People dug out lanterns and old radios, and companies scrambled to save what production they could.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

The mint also uses recycled silver, some of it extracted from old radios supplied by British hospitals.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

Innovations such as radios, automobiles and airplanes compressed distances and rapidly altered daily life.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

Some folks are unloading gallons of water from their cars; others, zombielike, instead of waving or saying hello when we pass by, keep staring at baby TVs or listening to boom box radios.

From "Ninth Ward" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Early next morning, a drone was sent up and soon after, the operator radioed them.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

Minutes later, officials radioed that a caller who reached 911—an unidentified woman who said she wasn’t in the home and was driving from Baltimore to the address—had told dispatchers his front door was unlocked.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

Antonelli was closing at such a pace that a win seemed inevitable, but then he radioed that something was wrong with his car and he couldn't steer.

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026

Minutes earlier, the pilot radioed in to staff at the tower, SoCal Approach, asking if a drone was near that location.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026

They radioed their commanding officer and asked what he wanted them to do.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge

The navigation officer was on the bridge radioing the Iranian navy a question that had become maddeningly repetitive and desperately urgent: When would the ship be able to leave?

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026

"As soon as I stepped my foot over the threshold of the door, they were radioing each other and they all surrounded me and were like 'you need to leave the store'," she said.

From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2025

Moments after the capsule reached orbit, a SpaceX mission control manager was heard jokingly radioing to the crew: "If you enjoyed your ride, please don't forget to give us five stars."

From Reuters ● Mar. 2, 2023

I call on the way and, like the pilot of a stricken plane radioing ahead with an order to foam the runway, I request that they get some drum hardware bags ready for me.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 2, 2022

The only thing happening was a lot of radioing between mission control and the astronauts.

From "Gone Crazy in Alabama" by Rita Williams-Garcia

Related Words

• transmission
• wireless