infrared
or in·fra-red
the part of the invisible spectrum that is contiguous to the red end of the visible spectrum and that comprises electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths from 800 nanometers to 1 millimeter.
noting or pertaining to the infrared or its component rays: infrared radiation.
Compare Meanings
Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.
Origin of infrared
1- Compare ultraviolet.
Words Nearby infrared
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use infrared in a sentence
This technology, called functional near-infrared spectroscopy, is the same that allows pulse oximeters to measure oxygen levels in the blood.
Can privacy coexist with technology that reads and changes brain activity? | Laura Sanders | February 11, 2021 | Science NewsThe operator gets a real-time view of what Spot sees and hears through its onboard sensors, which include an infrared camera.
Boston Dynamics gave its dog-like robot a charging dock and an arm on its head | Stan Horaczek | February 2, 2021 | Popular-ScienceWi-Charge’s PowerPuck system employs infrared beams that can power low-draw devices from up to 30 feet away without the power level dropping as you move further away.
Xiaomi’s long-range wireless charger shows a glimpse of a cord-free future | Stan Horaczek | February 1, 2021 | Popular-ScienceWe suggest reaching for a ceramic, porcelain, or infrared dryer, which will gently dry your hair without sucking up healthy moisture.
The best hair dryer: Get a salon-worthy blowout at home | Carsen Joenk | January 22, 2021 | Popular-ScienceHe and his team are now looking at another type of light called the cosmic infrared background.
Our feverish universe is getting hotter every day | Christopher Crockett | January 11, 2021 | Science News For Students
Therefore, it is not possible for any F-35 schedule to include a video data link or infrared pointer at this point.
Some pilots consider the infrared marker to be crucial to the close air-support mission to support ground troops.
Newest U.S. Stealth Fighter ‘10 Years Behind’ Older Jets | Dave Majumdar | December 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTinfrared light does not have a color which means it cannot be seen by the human eye.
Unlike humans, it can watch for days, even years, watch an entire city, zoom in close, use heat sensors and infrared.
Helicopters equipped with infrared equipment flew over the area.
It was an air-view of the city of Zurb—taken, the high priest explained, by infrared light from an airboat over the city at night.
Temple Trouble | Henry Beam PiperIt boils liquid metal and cooks out energy from the infrared right through to hard radiation.
The K-Factor | Harry Harrison (AKA Henry Maxwell Dempsey)Anyone leaving their Buggy would interrupt an infrared beam and stop the ride system.
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom | Cory DoctorowThe film registers whatever the infrared searchlight illuminates.
Smugglers' Reef | John BlaineThanks to the goggles, both of them could see the normally invisible beams of the infrared flashlight.
Out Like a Light | Gordon Randall Garrett
British Dictionary definitions for infrared
/ (ˌɪnfrəˈrɛd) /
the part of the electromagnetic spectrum with a longer wavelength than light but a shorter wavelength than radio waves; radiation with wavelength between 0.8 micrometres and 1 millimetre
of, relating to, using, or consisting of radiation lying within the infrared: infrared radiation
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
Scientific definitions for infrared
[ ĭn′frə-rĕd′ ]
Relating to the invisible part of the electromagnetic spectrum with wavelengths longer than those of visible red light but shorter than those of microwaves. See more at electromagnetic spectrum.
a closer look
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Browse