phase modulation

American  

noun

Electronics.

1. radio transmission in which the carrier wave is modulated by changing its phase to transmit the amplitude and pitch of the signal.

---

phase modulation British  

noun

1. a type of modulation, used in communication systems, in which the phase of a radio carrier wave is varied by an amount proportional to the instantaneous amplitude of the modulating signal

---

phase modulation Scientific  

1. A method of transmitting signals in which the value of the signal is proportional to the phase angle of a carrier wave. It is often combined with amplitude modulation to transmit digital information via modems.

---

Etymology

Origin of phase modulation

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

The new device generates laser frequency shifts through efficient phase modulation while using about 80 times less microwave power than many existing commercial modulators.

From Science Daily • Dec. 26, 2025

The researchers succeeded in interpreting and modeling elastic metamaterials for phase modulation of elastic waves using the Timoshenko-Ehrenfest beam theory.

From Science Daily • Apr. 2, 2024

Pushing them back and forth was called phase modulation: changing the timing. 

From Forbes • Nov. 18, 2013