definitions

radio wave

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR radio wave ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Electricity.

an electromagnetic wave having a wavelength between 1 millimeter and 30,000 meters, or a frequency between 10 kilohertz and 300,000 megahertz.

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RELATED WORDS

microwave

Nearby words

radio station, radio taxi, radio telescope, radio tube, radio valve, radio wave, radio waves, radio window, radio-, radio-collar, radio-controlled

Origin of radio wave

First recorded in 1915–20
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for radio wave

radio wave

noun

an electromagnetic wave of radio frequency
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

Science definitions for radio wave

radio wave

A very low frequency electromagnetic wave (from roughly 30 kilohertz to 100 gigahertz). Radio waves are used for the transmission of radio and television signals; the microwaves used in radar and microwave ovens are also radio waves. Many celestial objects, such as pulsars, emit radio waves. See more at electromagnetic spectrum.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.