walkie-talkie
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of walkie-talkie
Explanation
A walkie-talkie is a wireless, handheld transceiver that allows two-way communication using radio signals. Walkie-talkies are perfect for communicating in remote places where there's no cellphone signal. With a pair of walkie-talkies, you and a friend can hold a conversation, both sending and receiving signals over a radio channel. The earliest walkie-talkies were used by the military, starting in the 1930s. Designed to be portable and lightweight, the first version was called a "handy-talkie," with the original official walkie-talkie put to wide use by the U.S. during World War II. These simple, quick, two-way communication devices are still popular today on work crews and in wilderness areas far from cell towers. They can also be fun for kids to play with.
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.
"Baz actually sent one of the walkie talkie messages downstairs, saying 'tell Reh to bat like Sehwag'," Ahmed explained - a reference to India's aggressive former opener Virender Sehwag.
From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026
Rescuers managed to make contact with them and were communicating through a walkie talkie, Kumar said.
From Reuters • Nov. 13, 2023
High school baseball booster clubs are about to get a request from coaches: Can you give us $1,200 for a walkie talkie and ear piece for the 2024 season?
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 6, 2023
But while Apple’s push-to-talk walkie talkie feature only lets two people communicate at once, Samsung’s supports “two or more users” by setting up a Walkie-Talkie channel to chat in.
From The Verge • Aug. 31, 2021
The range radio safety operator came up to the corporal and handed him the walkie talkie.
From Sonny by Raphael, Rick
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.
