microwave oven

microwave oven

noun

Definition of MICROWAVE OVEN

: an oven in which food is cooked by the heat produced by the absorption of microwave energy by water molecules in the food

First Known Use of MICROWAVE OVEN

1955

Rhymes with MICROWAVE OVEN

convection oven

microwave oven

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Appliance that cooks food by means of high-frequency electromagnetic radiation. A microwave oven is a relatively small, boxlike oven that raises the temperature of food by subjecting it to a high-frequency electromagnetic field. The microwaves are absorbed by water, fats, sugars, and certain other molecules, whose resulting vibrations produce heat. The heating thus occurs inside the food, without warming the surrounding air. This process greatly reduces cooking time; baking and other tasks that may require an hour or more in a conventional oven can be completed in minutes in a microwave oven.