radio wave

noun

: an electromagnetic wave with radio frequency

Examples of radio wave in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Timely communication was a concern at times, the report said, with the department lacking a necessary number of radio wave frequencies. — Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026 One of the reasons the water hole has been so favored is because radio waves in this frequency range are not absorbed by Earth's atmosphere. — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 4 Aug. 2026 But what’s really wild about this story is that, while eclipses create particularly mysterious disturbances in the ionosphere, radio waves actually travel differently whenever the sun isn’t out. — Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 29 July 2026 Dundon then aired the Hurricanes’ television broadcast over the radio waves. — Jason Quick, New York Times, 22 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for radio wave

Word History

First Known Use

1915, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of radio wave was in 1915

Rhymes for radio wave

See All Rhymes for radio wave

Browse Nearby Words

radiovision
radio wave
radish
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Radio wave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/radio%20wave. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

radio wave

noun
: an electromagnetic wave with radio frequency

Medical Definition

radio wave

noun
ra·​dio wave ˈrād-ē-ō-ˌwāv How to pronounce radio wave (audio)
: an electromagnetic wave with radio frequency

More from Merriam-Webster on radio wave

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about radio wave

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