electromagnetic field

American

noun

Electricity.

the coupled electric and magnetic fields that are generated by time-varying currents and accelerated charges.

electromagnetic field British

noun

a field of force associated with a moving electric charge equivalent to an electric field and a magnetic field at right angles to each other and to the direction of propagation

"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.

One especially promising structure is the toroidal vortex of light, which forms a ring where the electromagnetic field curves back on itself into a stable, donut-like shape.

From Science Daily • Feb. 4, 2026

“My own efforts during the past four decades have been dedicated to rescuing the founders from the electromagnetic field we have constructed around them,” he writes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 26, 2025

They identify how fluid moves through rocks by pulsing an electromagnetic field into the earth.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2025

"The metallic tip acts like an antenna and focusses the electromagnetic field in a tiny area below its apex."

From Science Daily • Nov. 20, 2024

These are similar to light waves, which are ripples of the electromagnetic field, but they are much harder to detect.

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