wavelength

or wave length

[ weyv-lengkth, -length, -lenth ]
See synonyms for wavelength on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Physics. the distance, measured in the direction of propagation of a wave, between two successive points in the wave that are characterized by the same phase of oscillation.

Idioms about wavelength

  1. on the same wavelength, in sympathy or rapport: We seemed to be on the same wavelength from the moment we met.

Origin of wavelength

1
First recorded in 1855–60; wave + length

Words Nearby wavelength

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use wavelength in a sentence

  • The image above was constructed with longer-wavelength light, using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA).

  • I was on too different a wavelength with French society on this point for someone with political responsibilities.

  • This little gun is the projector for a new ray which I have discovered—an etheric vibration of extremely short wavelength.

  • Lieutenant Kalanang's jeep was hit; Lieutenant Vermaas is cutting in his pickup on the same wavelength.

    Uller Uprising | Henry Beam Piper, John D. Clark and John F. Carr
  • The voice repeated, several times, the wavelength, and somebody got an auxiliary screen tuned in.

    Uller Uprising | Henry Beam Piper, John D. Clark and John F. Carr
  • And Al Webber has some equipment that can paralyze roboguards if we know their operational wavelength.

    Starman's Quest | Robert Silverberg
  • The news came; then, immediately after, the Washington transmitter changed its wavelength and he lost connection.

    Wandl the Invader | Raymond King Cummings

British Dictionary definitions for wavelength

wavelength

/ (ˈweɪvˌlɛŋθ) /


noun
  1. the distance, measured in the direction of propagation, between two points of the same phase in consecutive cycles of a wave: Symbol: λ

  2. the wavelength of the carrier wave used by a particular broadcasting station

  1. on someone's wavelength or on the same wavelength informal having similar views, feelings, or thoughts (as someone else)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for wavelength

wavelength

[ wāvlĕngkth′ ]


  1. The distance between one peak or crest of a wave and the next peak or crest. It is equal to the speed of the wave divided by its frequency, and to the speed of a wave times its period.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for wavelength

wavelength

The distance between crests (or troughs) of a wave.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.