microwave oven

American  

noun

• microwave ovens
  plural

1. an electrically operated oven using high-frequency electromagnetic waves that penetrate food, causing its molecules to vibrate and generating heat within the food to cook it in a very short time.

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microwave oven British  

noun

1. Often shortened to: micro, microwave. an oven in which food is cooked by microwaves

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• microwave ovens
  plural

Etymology

Origin of microwave oven

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

microwave oven

And middlemen who deal in goods from Asian factories aren’t always willing to disclose what it really costs to make a sofa or microwave oven.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 28, 2026

"These are electromagnetic rays in the range of around one hundred to several thousand gigahertz, comparable to the radiation of a cell phone or a microwave oven -- but with a significantly higher frequency."

From Science Daily ● Mar. 18, 2024

I had a microwave oven and a box of household alkaline batteries — it just took a minute.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 20, 2023

"We went straight to the microwave oven," Falcon said.

From Salon ● Feb. 2, 2023

“We’ll have to eat in the kitchen,” Ryan explained, “and since the hotel’s got a microwave oven, sometimes the plates are hot and the food isn’t.”

From "Ralph S. Mouse" by Beverly Cleary

Related Words

• kiln
• microwave
• stove