electromagnetic
Americanadjective
adjective
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of, containing, or operated by an electromagnet
an electromagnetic pump
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of, relating to, or consisting of electromagnetism
electromagnetic moment
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of or relating to electromagnetic radiation
the electromagnetic spectrum
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of electromagnetic
Explanation
The adjective electromagnetic describes a powerful natural force that's caused by an electrical charge. Objects that have an electromagnetic charge act like ordinary magnets, attracting and repelling other objects — but the source of their magnetism is an electric current flowing inside them. Electromagnetic, a combination of electric and magnetic, dates from the 1820s, soon after the force itself was discovered by a Danish scientist who noticed a magnetic compass needle moving when it was close to a live electric wire.
Vocabulary lists containing electromagnetic
Waves and Wave Properties - Introductory
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Waves and Wave Properties - Middle School
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Electricity and Magnetism - Introductory
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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.
U.S. officials say Trump signed a national security memorandum Thursday directing the change, which would involve removing the electromagnetic catapult system used by the ships in the Gerald R. Ford class of carriers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
As of March, nearly 37,000 aircraft had been launched by Ford’s four electromagnetic catapults, according to Navy data.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Gigahertz is a unit used to describe the frequency of electromagnetic waves.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026
Metamaterials are specially engineered structures that interact with electromagnetic waves in ways that natural materials cannot.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 10, 2026
Maxwell’s equations predicted that there could be wavelike disturbances in the combined electromagnetic field, and that these would travel at a fixed speed, like ripples on a pond.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
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.
