microwave

[ mahy-kroh-weyv ]

/ ˈmaɪ kroʊˌweɪv /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR microwave ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an electromagnetic wave of extremely high frequency, 1 GH3 or more, and having wavelengths of from 1 mm to 30 cm.

microwave oven.

verb (used without object), mi·cro·waved, mi·cro·wav·ing.

to use a microwave oven.

verb (used with object), mi·cro·waved, mi·cro·wav·ing.

to cook, defrost, or otherwise prepare in a microwave oven.

RELATED WORDS

bake, zap, heat, nuke, melt

Nearby words

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for microwave

Microwave "pain rays" and acoustic crowd dispersal weapons already exist.
Special Ops’ Weapons Wish List|Michael Peck|April 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Army suggests that laser, microwave or acoustic weapons are the answer.
Special Ops’ Weapons Wish List|Michael Peck|April 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He told the cops about the “microwave machine” whose “vibrations” kept him from being able to sleep.
Aaron Alexis Was Hearing Voices a Month Before His Rampage|Michael Daly|September 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
After a redesign last year, the toy now heats up like a traditional oven and looks more like a microwave.
Easy-Bake Oven Mans Up: Hasbro to Manufacture Boy-Friendly Design|Abigail Pesta|December 18, 2012|DAILY BEAST

After a redesign last year, the toy now heats like a traditional oven and looks more like a microwave.
Eighth Grader Tells Hasbro: Man Up the Easy-Bake Oven|Abigail Pesta|November 30, 2012|DAILY BEAST
It's like a searchlight beam or a microwave beam, and it stays the same size like a pipe.
Operation: Outer Space|William Fitzgerald Jenkins
The microwave -- which always reeked of popcorn and spilled soup -- was right in there, on top of the miniature fridge.
Little Brother|Cory Doctorow
Obviously, it had something to do with microwave transmission and reception.
The Kenzie Report|Mark Clifton
They're like flares, except that they operate on microwave frequencies instead of visible light.
Hanging by a Thread|Gordon Randall Garrett
This chitin diaphragm picks up the microwave like our ears pick up sound.
The Kenzie Report|Mark Clifton

British Dictionary definitions for microwave

microwave

/ (ˈmaɪkrəʊˌweɪv) /

noun

electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range 0.3 to 0.001 metres: used in radar, cooking, etc
(as modifier)microwave generator

short for microwave oven

verb (tr)

to cook in a microwave oven

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

microwave

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.

Medicine definitions for microwave

microwave

[ mī′krə-wāv′, -krō- ]

n.

A high-frequency electromagnetic wave, one millimeter to one meter in wavelength, intermediate between infrared and shortwave radio wavelengths.

v.

To cook or heat using microwaves.

Science definitions for microwave

microwave

[ mī′krō-wāv′ ]

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.