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 is the docudrama re-enactments, which are contrived-looking at best and unintentionally funny at worst, such as when a Hezbollah fighter distraught by the pager operation frets that his microwave might kill him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
Pointing to an area where his bike had been stolen, Choudhury said people had brought duvets, chairs and a microwave into the storage area, where they cooked food and charged devices.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
Everyday actions generate billions of these nanoparticles, Yan noted, from washing a load of laundry to reheating a dish in the microwave.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
Scientists measure Arctic sea ice coverage using satellites equipped with passive microwave sensors.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026
I stared at the enchilada dinner sitting inside the dark microwave.
From Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff
He said they were clustering in large numbers and emerging from places including fridge seals, plug sockets, toasters and microwaves, adding: "It was like something out of a Stephen King film."
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Some have claimed the illness is caused by microwaves, prompting further speculation that a foreign power may have used some kind of sonar weapon to attack US overseas staff and their dependants.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 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
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions provides technologies that can disable drones with microwaves.
From Barron's ● Mar. 4, 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
The men eat microwaved taquitos, she pounds vitamins.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2025
It was like being "microwaved", he tells the BBC film, as his body was exposed to the raw power of a nuclear weapon.
From BBC ● Nov. 17, 2024
The power of showing a Black love story from start to finish — despite the microwaved timeline — cannot be understated.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 14, 2023
You eat fast food or the hot dogs and Styrofoam cups of soup that can be microwaved in a convenience store.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
“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 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
This android — one of two nameless leads in the Oscar-nominated charmer “Robot Dreams” — envisions a small, lonely dog in his third-floor walk-up, microwaving a depressing dinner for one.
From New York Times ● May 30, 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
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