microwave
Americannoun
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microwaves
plural
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an electromagnetic wave of extremely high frequency, 1 GH 3 or more, and having wavelengths of from 1 millimeter to 30 centimeters.
verb (used without object)
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microwaves,
present (3rd person singular)
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microwaved,
past participle, past
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microwaving
present participle
verb (used with object)
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microwaves,
present (3rd person singular)
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microwaved,
past participle, past
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microwaving
present participle
noun
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electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range 0.3 to 0.001 metres: used in radar, cooking, etc
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( as modifier )
microwave generator
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short for microwave oven
verb
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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.
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See more at electromagnetic spectrum
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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microwavesimple
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microwavessimple
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have microwavedperfect
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has microwavedperfect
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am microwavingprogressive
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are microwavingprogressive
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is microwavingprogressive
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have been microwavingperfect progressive
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has been microwavingperfect progressive
Past
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microwavedsimple
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had microwavedperfect
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was microwavingprogressive
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were microwavingprogressive
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had been microwavingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of microwave
Explanation
A microwave is a small oven that cooks or heats food very quickly. Instead of the electric or gas heat that a regular oven uses, a microwave heats with electromagnetic radiation. While the heat of a regular oven (or a small toaster oven) surrounds your food and cooks it from the outside, with the heat working its way in, a microwave's radiation cooks most food from the inside out. Its radiation, or waves, penetrate the food and heat up any moisture inside it. These waves are themselves called microwaves because they're short (and micro- means "small"), similar to radio waves.
Vocabulary lists containing microwave
Physical Science - Energy - Introductory
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Space Science (Astronomy) - Middle School
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Physics - 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.
See Examples For:
Another asked Wynn to microwave her daughter’s lunch every day because she wouldn’t eat cold food.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Researchers often protect quantum memories from environmental interference using microwave pulses that separate, or decouple, the memory from surrounding noise.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 12, 2026
As some critics have pointed out, many AI users are making cat GIFs, which uses the equivalent amount of energy as running a microwave for an hour.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
When you first step into South Hall, to your immediate right is “the bubble”—a barred enclosure fitted with chairs, a desk, a telephone, and a microwave.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
“I know you’re under the table,” I tell him, watching the microwave warm up my peanut butter.
From "Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish" by Pablo Cartaya
But economists warn that higher tariffs can make everyday goods, like coffee and microwaves, more expensive.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Because microwaves generate heat throughout the food, they promote vapor formation and help maintain internal pressure that keeps oil from being absorbed as easily.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 2, 2026
The action in Iran has also underscored that drones are delivering a new economics of warfare, which demands cheap cruise missiles, high-power microwaves for drone defense, reusable interceptors on ships.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026
Some of the carriages contain charging stations, as well as microwaves and access to satellite internet, according to the Ukrainian government.
From Barron's ● Jan. 22, 2026
At other times she was allowed to use microwaves.
From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
Inside an Omaha test kitchen, executives at Conagra recently huddled over plastic trays of microwaved eggs, potatoes and sausage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
A home carer unintentionally fed an elderly woman microwaved dog food, an investigation has found.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
The men eat microwaved taquitos, she pounds vitamins.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2025
Despite the fact that I started cooking the roasted ones before the microwaved version, the latter were not only done first, they were nicely cool before the roasted ones were ready.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 19, 2023
Zeke microwaved corn dogs and fries and served them.
From "Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody" by Patrick Ness
“You’re going to hear Make America Healthy Again moms talking about it, while also environmental activists talking about it—and I guarantee your relatives are increasingly worried about microwaving their plastic,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 18, 2026
Rangers defender Kirk Broadfoot was taken to hospital after an egg he was microwaving exploded in his face.
From BBC ● Nov. 21, 2025
The stereotypical bachelor computer programmer also enjoys having free restaurants to eat at, rather than sadly microwaving a burrito at home for dinner.
From Salon ● Jan. 17, 2025
The punishing heat wave microwaving Southern California is expected to bring triple-digit temperatures to much of the region for the next few days.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2024
Nearly everything in the store required microwaving or oven heating or scrupulous refrigeration or came in large, family-sized quantities.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
Definitions 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.
