dipole

American  

[dahy-pohl] / ˈdaɪˌpoʊl /

noun

1. Physics, Electricity. a pair of electric point charges or magnetic poles of equal magnitude and opposite signs, separated by an infinitesimal distance.

2. Physical Chemistry. a polar molecule.

3. Also called dipole antenna.  Radio, Television. an antenna of a transmitter or receiving set consisting of two equal rods extending in opposite direction from the connection to the lead-in wire.

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dipole British  

/ ˈdaɪˌpəʊl /

noun

1. two electric charges or magnetic poles that have equal magnitudes but opposite signs and are separated by a small distance

2. a molecule in which the centre of positive charge does not coincide with the centre of negative charge

3. Also called: dipole aerial.  a directional radio or television aerial consisting of two equal lengths of metal wire or rods, with a connecting wire fixed between them in the form of a T

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dipole Scientific  

/ dī′pōl′ /

1. A pair of electric charges or magnetic poles, of equal magnitude but of opposite sign or polarity, separated by a small distance.

2. A molecule having two such charges or poles.

3. An antenna consisting of two rods of equal length extending outward in a straight line. Dipole antennas are usually used for frequencies below 30 megahertz.

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Other Word Forms

• dipolar adjective

Etymology

Origin of dipole

First recorded in 1910–15; di- ¹ + pole ²

Example Sentences

The PQ symmetry addresses the strong CP problem, which asks why experiments fail to detect the tiny electric dipole moment that theory predicts for the neutron.

From Science Daily • Dec. 7, 2025

Earth's dipole field, created by its liquid outer iron core, produces a magnetic field that loops from the North Pole to the South Pole and is the reason compasses point toward the poles.

From Science Daily • Nov. 25, 2024

But Voyager 2 discovered that neither of the two ice giants has such a dipole field, only disorganized magnetic fields.

From Science Daily • Nov. 25, 2024

The material exhibits displacive-type ferroelectric behavior, where the displacement of ions during the phase transition leads to the creation of a permanent dipole moment within the material.

From Science Daily • Apr. 25, 2024

The approved wire dipole antennas were supposed to be placed within a two-by-four-foot area on the wall—where, apparently, they did no good at all.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover