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

Bernstein says preowned devices from your wireless carrier are the next best option.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

EchoStar has lost money on wireless services for years, and Adderton has taken to social media to criticize the way it runs Boost Mobile.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Because wireless networks are already so common, the researchers argue that privacy protections should be built into future WiFi technology before these capabilities become easier to exploit at scale.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026

Monique made the switch from bluetooth wireless to wired earphones a few months back and says she hasn't returned to the former since.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

For his part, Dr. Gazzaley spoke into a wireless mic and paced, holding an iPad to control what images of Mickey’s brain appeared on the screens.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

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