antenna

American  

[an-ten-uh] / ænˈtɛn ə /

noun

plural

antennas, antennae

1. a conductor by which electromagnetic waves are sent out or received, consisting commonly of a wire or set of wires; aerial.

2. Zoology. one of the jointed, movable, sensory appendages occurring in pairs on the heads of insects and most other arthropods.

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antenna British  

/ ænˈtɛnə /

noun

1. one of a pair of mobile appendages on the heads of insects, crustaceans, etc, that are often whiplike and respond to touch and taste but may be specialized for swimming or attachment

2. another name for aerial

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antenna Scientific  

/ ăn-tĕn′ə /

1. One of a pair of long, slender, segmented appendages on the heads of insects, centipedes, millipedes, and crustaceans. Most antennae are organs of touch, but some are sensitive to odors and other stimuli.

2. A metallic device for sending or receiving electromagnetic waves, such as radio waves. Some antennas can send waves in or receive waves from all directions; others are designed to work only in a range of directions.

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Usage

Plural word for antenna The plural form of antenna can be either antennas or antennae, pronounced [ an-ten-ee ], depending on the meaning of the term. When used in the sense of "a conductor by which electromagnetic waves are sent out or received," the correct plural form is antennas. When used to describe the sensory appendages of organisms in the field of zoology, the correct plural form is antennae. The plural form of several other singular words ending in -a are also formed in this way, as in camera/cameras, pajama/pajamas, and pizza/pizzas. Irregular nouns whose plurals are formed like antennae, such as larva/larvae and fauna/faunae, derive directly from their original pluralization in Latin.

Other Word Forms

• antennal adjective
• postantennal adjective

Etymology

Origin of antenna

1640–50; < Latin: a sailyard

Explanation

An antenna is a feeler found on the head of a bug. You know, the gross, creepy, pointy things they wave around and use as feelers or sensors. An antenna is also a device that sends radio and television signals. The singular noun antenna is just one of the feelers on a bug’s head — a sensory wand the insect waves around to check out its surroundings. The plural of this antenna is antennae. (Those Greeks and their funny words!) The singular noun antenna is also the thing on top of your television or radio. The plural of this antenna is antennas.

Example Sentences

Instead of an antenna, there was a claw.

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026

The US-based Institute for Science and International Security found in 2023 that those drones used "state-of-art antenna interference suppression" to remove enemy jamming signals while preserving the desired GPS signal.

From Barron's • Mar. 16, 2026

The company says this "anti-jam antenna system" can be installed on different kinds of vehicles – from cars to aircraft – and that it uses multiple channels to overcome jamming.

From BBC • Mar. 9, 2026

Launching Station receives targets’ location from ECS through the station’s antenna.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 3, 2026

Henry connected the antenna wire, plugged the radio in, and fiddled with the knobs.

From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez

Related Words

• receiver
• wire