carrier wave

British

noun

radio a wave of fixed amplitude and frequency that is modulated in amplitude, frequency, or phase in order to carry a signal in radio transmission, etc See amplitude modulation frequency modulation

"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

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.

This is done by varying the amplitude of the carrier wave in accordance with the frequency of the audio signal.

From Science Daily • Nov. 25, 2024

The researchers modify their carrier wave by injecting a tiny warble at the frequency they hope to probe.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 27, 2022

Lightwave electronics3—the foundation of attosecond science4—uses the oscillating carrier wave of intense light pulses to control the translational motion of the electron’s charge faster than a single cycle of light5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15.

From Nature • May 1, 2018

The receiver’s circuitry is designed to respond to variations in amplitude of the carrier wave to replicate the original audio signal.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

Angrily Mitch keyed the carrier wave, screwed the button tightly down, and kicked on the four-hundred cycle modulator.

From Way of a Rebel by Miller, Walter M.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023