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wavelength

American  
[weyv-lengkth, -length, -lenth] / ˈweɪvˌlɛŋkθ, -ˌlɛŋθ, -ˌlɛnθ /
Or wave length

noun

  1. Physics. the distance, measured in the direction of propagation of a wave, between two successive points in the wave that are characterized by the same phase of oscillation.

idioms

  1. on the same wavelength, in sympathy or rapport.

    We seemed to be on the same wavelength from the moment we met.
wavelength British  
/ ˈweɪvˌlɛŋθ /

noun

  1.  λ.  the distance, measured in the direction of propagation, between two points of the same phase in consecutive cycles of a wave

  2. the wavelength of the carrier wave used by a particular broadcasting station

  3. informal having similar views, feelings, or thoughts (as someone else)

"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
wavelength Scientific  
/ wāv′lĕngkth′ /

  1. The distance between one peak or crest of a wave and the next peak or crest. It is equal to the speed of the wave divided by its frequency, and to the speed of a wave times its period.

wavelength Cultural  

  1. The distance between crests (or troughs) of a wave.

Etymology

Origin of wavelength

First recorded in 1855–60; wave + length

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.

These subtle wavelength shifts reveal the chemical signatures of substances inside the container.

From Science Daily

In that sense, they are similar to the human eye, which is also limited to visible wavelengths of light.

From Science Daily

A major obstacle comes from classical optics, which suggests that shrinking efficient light emitting pixels down to the scale of the light's own wavelength should not work.

From Science Daily

“Once we started filming, we were on the same wavelength. We weren’t coming in and trying to go toe-to-toe and test each other, but we were collaborating and working towards the same goal.”

From Los Angeles Times

These tiny particles scatter sunlight, filtering out the shorter blue and violet wavelengths and letting the longer red and orange tones shine through.

From BBC

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.