antenna

noun

an·​ten·​na an-ˈte-nə 

plural antennae an-ˈte-(ˌ)nē  or antennas

1

plural antennae : one of a pair of slender, movable, segmented sensory organs on the head of insects, myriapods, and crustaceans see insect illustration

2

: a usually metallic device (such as a rod or wire) for radiating or receiving radio waves

a TV antenna

3

antennae plural : a special sensitivity or receptiveness

… his political antennae proved to be shrewder than ever.

—Erich Segal

antennal

an-ˈte-nᵊl 

adjective

Did you know?

The Latin word antenna meant “sail yard,” which is the long spar that supports and spreads the sail on a sailing vessel. The Greek word for a sail yard was keraia, but that was only one meaning of this word. The primary meaning was “horn.” The philosopher Aristotle used keraiai to describe the feelers of insects, probably because of their resemblance to the horns of some larger animals. In a Latin translation of Aristotle’s work made during the Renaissance, the word antennae was used for Greek keraiai. In English we still use antennae for insects’ feelers. And now we also use antenna for the metal rods that pick up radio waves and seem to “feel the air” like the antennae of an insect.

Examples of antenna in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Regardless of the network and streaming service assigned to the game, fans in the Bay Area can expect to watch it on a local TV network that can be accessed with an antenna. —Pueng Vongs, Mercury News, 12 Jan. 2026

Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), a powerful array of 66 radio antennas located in northern Chile, the team discovered the first signs of planet formation in the dense gas layers of a system known as Gomez's Hamburger (GoHam). —Robert Lea, Space.com, 12 Jan. 2026

The antenna can then pick up an RF signal sent from an external receiver and, working with a small RF chip, sends back a signal to confirm that the capsule was swallowed. —Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 9 Jan. 2026

SpotOn uses a dual-band, dual-feed active antenna paired with a dual-band receiver that reduces GPS drift by up to 40% and delivers accuracy up to eight times better than competing systems. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 9 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin, from Latin, sail yard

First Known Use

1698, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing antenna

• community antenna television
• whip antenna

Rhymes for antenna

• duenna
• gehenna
• subpena
• bena
• bene
• gena
• henna
• kenna
• plena
• senna

Kids Definition

antenna

noun

an·​ten·​na an-ˈten-ə 

plural antennae -ˈten-(ˌ)ē  or antennas

1

plural usually antennae : one of a pair of slender movable organs of sensation on the head of an arthropod (as an insect or a crab) that are made up of segments

2

plural usually antennas : a device (as a rod or wire) for sending or receiving radio waves