extraordinary wave

American

noun

Radio.

(of the two waves into which a radio wave is divided in the ionosphere under the influence of the earth's magnetic field) the wave with characteristics different from those that the undivided wave would have exhibited in the absence of the magnetic field.

Etymology

Origin of extraordinary wave

First recorded in 1880–85

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.

Canada has struggled to fight back against the extraordinary wave of fires, which have overwhelmed local resources and forced thousands of people to evacuate.

From New York Times • Jun. 14, 2023

Nonetheless, the band rode an extraordinary wave of popularity, scoring seven consecutive top 10 singles between 1979 and 1981.

From BBC • Dec. 19, 2022

The most striking example is China, where an extraordinary wave of protest is confronting the powers that be.

From Washington Post • Dec. 1, 2022

AP: We’re seeing an extraordinary wave of people leaving Ukraine, and like the Irish migration of the 19th century, it’s a wave of women and children.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 16, 2022

An extraordinary wave of emotion came over him, finely strung as he was, and susceptible to all grades of feeling.

From Halcyone by Glyn, Elinor

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