antenna
Americannoun
-
a conductor by which electromagnetic waves are sent out or received, consisting commonly of a wire or set of wires; aerial.
-
Zoology. one of the jointed, movable, sensory appendages occurring in pairs on the heads of insects and most other arthropods.
noun
-
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
-
another name for aerial
-
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.
-
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.
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing antenna
Animals (Zoology) - Introductory
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Buzzwords for National Honey Bee Day
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Animals (Zoology) - Middle School
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Each antenna contains tiny, regularly spaced variations along its length.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
At that time, she was living in Kyongsong, a coastal county in the North, where families could pick up TV signals across the water with an antenna.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
The research team is preparing larger clinical studies involving multiple hospitals while modifying the antenna for additional organs, including the heart and kidneys.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 10, 2026
On July 1, extreme climbers Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus announced their engagement by scaling the Empire State Building and unfurling a banner from its famous antenna that proclaimed the healing power of love.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
But then, right at 2300 hours, Werner sees it, hardly one block from where they parked the Opel: an antenna sliding up alongside a chimney.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
If Mengucci’s plain talk can’t be received by investors’ antennae or Bluetooth, they’d better check their connectivity.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
Other bees frequently touch the dancer with their antennae and bodies.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 24, 2026
Today, there’s a Christmas tree fashioned out of communication antennae on her bow.
From Salon ● Dec. 24, 2025
"You don't go in there complacent. The antennae is up and you're looking for weakness but I can't see anything other than a European win."
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2025
“I’m not sure you could put antennae on an elephant,” Mari said.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
The MIT team addressed those problems by creating an array of integrated antennas that greatly limits unwanted crosstalk, which occurs when neighboring antennas interfere with one another.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
Based on those calculations, the team manufactured an OPA containing the reduced-crosstalk antennas.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
The team designed the antennas around three essential requirements.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
They changed the width of the antennas as well as the size and placement of the corrugations.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
All I saw were these tubes jutting out from either side of my head—like antennas.
From "Wonder" by R. J. Palacio
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
