wireless

American  

[wahyuhr-lis] / ˈwaɪər lɪs /

adjective

1. having no wire.

2. noting or pertaining to any of various devices that are operated with or actuated by electromagnetic waves.

3. Chiefly British. radio.

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noun

wirelesses plural

1. wireless telegraphy or telephony.

2. a wireless telegraph or telephone, or the like.

3. any system or device, as a cell phone, for transmitting messages or signals by electromagnetic waves.

4. a wireless message.

5. Chiefly British. radio.

verb (used with or without object)

1. to telegraph or telephone by wireless.

wireless British  

/ ˈwaɪəlɪs /

adjective

1. communicating without connecting wires or other material contacts

   wireless networks

   wireless internet connection

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noun

1. old-fashioned another word for radio

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• wirelessness
  noun
• prewireless
  adjective
• wirelessly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• wirelesses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of wireless

First recorded in 1890–95; wire + -less

Example Sentences

Taco Bell, DoorDash and Cricket Wireless have used the marketing tactic, but in some cases it has raised questions about the authenticity of viral moments.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026

There’s the Total Wireless Weigh-In, which allows fans to take shirtless pictures of themselves flexing the way fighters do at weigh-in the day before they fight.

From Slate • Jun. 16, 2026

Festival Republic, which runs Reading and Leeds, Wireless and Download, stressed that the tickets "represent significant value for money... particularly compared to other major live events".

From BBC • May 30, 2026

Wireless networks are now common in homes, offices, restaurants, airports, and public spaces across the world, giving this technology potentially enormous reach.

From Science Daily • May 23, 2026

The priest invites me and we climb down a ladder to the small boat with the First Officer and the Wireless Officer.

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt