wireless

American  

[wahyuhr-lis] / ˈwaɪər lɪs /

adjective

1. having no wire.

2. noting or pertaining to any of various devices that are operated with or actuated by electromagnetic waves.

3. Chiefly British. radio.

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noun

• wirelesses
  plural

1. wireless telegraphy or telephony.

2. a wireless telegraph or telephone, or the like.

3. any system or device, as a cell phone, for transmitting messages or signals by electromagnetic waves.

4. a wireless message.

5. Chiefly British. radio.

verb (used with or without object)

1. to telegraph or telephone by wireless.

wireless British  

/ ˈwaɪəlɪs /

adjective

1. communicating without connecting wires or other material contacts

   wireless networks

   wireless internet connection

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noun

1. old-fashioned another word for radio

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• wirelessness
  noun
• prewireless
  adjective
• wirelessly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• wirelesses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of wireless

First recorded in 1890–95; wire + -less

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

wireless wirelesses

SpaceX’s wireless deal boosts shares of cell tower companies like Crown Castle and American Tower.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

Building a terrestrial wireless network — one that relies on cell towers and other related infrastructure — is a different proposition, and a highly expensive one at that.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026

AST SpaceMobile could become a valuable ally for wireless carriers competing with SpaceX’s satellite-to-phone service, analysts say.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

The rocketry firm agreed to buy wireless spectrum from investment firm Grain Management for about $8 billion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

She had the world’s first iPod, and now she has wireless speakers synced to her iPhone.

From "Sparrow" by Sarah Moon

We had one phone in the hall, wirelesses and typewriters; we wrote our essays by hand and we weren’t forever on call, stressed, agitated, panicking and with a squillion, brain-mashing choices to make.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 12, 2016

But in London last week, a considerable fraction of the population rose from warm beds and sat shivering beside wirelesses to hear the 7 a.m. news report of the Battle of Adelaide.

From Time Magazine Archive

Correspondents filed endless wirelesses, but no event of real importance disturbed the word-painted ship upon its word-painted ocean.

From Time Magazine Archive

"You still putting your faith in those wirelesses your uncle was going to have zigzagging round?"

From Flappers and Philosophers by F. Scott (Francis Scott) Fitzgerald