microwave
Americannoun
-
microwaves
plural
-
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)
-
microwaves,
present (3rd person singular)
-
microwaved,
past participle, past
-
microwaving
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
microwaves,
present (3rd person singular)
-
microwaved,
past participle, past
-
microwaving
present participle
noun
-
-
electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range 0.3 to 0.001 metres: used in radar, cooking, etc
-
( as modifier )
microwave generator
-
-
short for microwave oven
verb
-
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.
-
See more at electromagnetic spectrum
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
microwavesimple
-
microwavessimple
-
have microwavedperfect
-
has microwavedperfect
-
am microwavingprogressive
-
are microwavingprogressive
-
is microwavingprogressive
-
have been microwavingperfect progressive
-
has been microwavingperfect progressive
Past
-
microwavedsimple
-
had microwavedperfect
-
was microwavingprogressive
-
were microwavingprogressive
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Space Science (Astronomy) - Middle School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Physics - Introductory
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
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
In addition, directed-energy weapons, such as high-energy lasers and high-power microwave systems, can be useful against incoming drones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
He said the facility’s staff does not clean the floors, dining tables or the microwave.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are investigating whether microwave energy could help produce French fries that absorb less oil without losing the qualities consumers expect.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026
I held the phone out so it faced the microwave.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
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
Terahertz radiation sits between microwaves and infrared light on the electromagnetic spectrum.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 17, 2026
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions provides technologies that can disable drones with microwaves.
From Barron's ● Mar. 4, 2026
So ubiquitous are highly processed, highly palatable victuals for children that microwaves are now fitted with special settings to heat them up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026
Gamow calculated that by the time it crossed the vastness of the cosmos, the radiation would reach Earth in the form of microwaves.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
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
Its body temperature could’ve microwaved a frozen burrito.
From "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan
And there are darker sides to being viral: Some users on social media talked about microwaving NeeDohs to make them more pliable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026
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
The recording includes Banksy comparing his approach to art - which involves producing graffiti undercover at speed - to microwaving meals.
From BBC ● Nov. 20, 2023
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.
