electromagnetic
Americanadjective
adjective
-
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.
Patrick Hannifin, now a three-star admiral in charge of naval forces in the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans, told Trump that while steam is reliable now, he preferred electromagnetic catapults.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
He said a February stress test of the Ford’s electromagnetic launchers showed they outperformed their steam peers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
The antennas blast out electromagnetic signals generated by computers connected to the poles and housed in protective cases.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
"To overcome this limitation, we introduced a terahertz split-ring resonator. Such a dark cavity can reshape the electromagnetic environment and substantially amplify vacuum fluctuations."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 3, 2026
He arrived at the Rad Lab skeptical about electromagnetic separation, having been convinced of the superiority of gaseous diffusion by his technical advisors, who came from a petroleum industry familiar with that technology.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
