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microwave

[mahy-kroh-weyv]
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noun
  1. an electromagnetic wave of extremely high frequency, 1 GH3 or more, and having wavelengths of from 1 mm to 30 cm.
  2. microwave oven.
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verb (used without object), mi·cro·waved, mi·cro·wav·ing.
  1. to use a microwave oven.
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verb (used with object), mi·cro·waved, mi·cro·wav·ing.
  1. to cook, defrost, or otherwise prepare in a microwave oven.
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Origin of microwave

First recorded in 1930–35; micro- + wave
Related formsmi·cro·wave·a·ble, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

bake, zap, heat, nuke, melt

Examples from the Web for microwave

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • Obviously, it had something to do with microwave transmission and reception.

    The Kenzie Report

    Mark Clifton

  • I was talking to him by microwave when he was seized by them.

    Operation Terror

    William Fitzgerald Jenkins

  • They're like flares, except that they operate on microwave frequencies instead of visible light.

    Hanging by a Thread

    Gordon Randall Garrett

  • Three-quarters of all American households (Barbie's included) use a microwave oven.

  • The microwave -- which always reeked of popcorn and spilled soup -- was right in there, on top of the miniature fridge.

    Little Brother

    Cory Doctorow

British Dictionary definitions for microwave

microwave

noun
    1. electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range 0.3 to 0.001 metres: used in radar, cooking, etc
    2. (as modifier)microwave generator
  2. short for microwave oven
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verb (tr)
  1. to cook in a microwave oven
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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

Word Origin and History for microwave

n.

type of electromagnetic wave, 1931, coined in English from micro- + wave (n.). First record of microwave oven is from 1961; microwave as short for this is attested from 1974; as a verb, from 1976.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
microwave in Medicine

microwave

(mī′krə-wāv′, -krō-)
n.
  1. A high-frequency electromagnetic wave, one millimeter to one meter in wavelength, intermediate between infrared and shortwave radio wavelengths.
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v.
  1. To cook or heat using microwaves.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
microwave in Science

microwave

[mī′krō-wāv′]
  1. An electromagnetic wave with a frequency in the range of 100 megahertz to 30 gigahertz (lower than infrared but higher than other radio waves). Microwaves are used in radar, radio transmission, cooking, and other applications. Microwaves are generated naturally by many astronomical phenomena and are found in cosmic background radiation. See more at electromagnetic spectrum.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.