radio

adjective

ra·dio | \ ˈrā-dē-ˌō

Definition of radio

(Entry 1 of 4)

1 : of, relating to, or operated by radiant energy

2 : of or relating to electric currents or phenomena (such as electromagnetic radiation) of frequencies between about 3000 hertz and 300 gigahertz

3a : of, relating to, or used in radio or a radio set

b : specializing in radio or associated with the radio industry

c(1) : transmitted by radio

(2) : making or participating in radio broadcasts

d : controlled or directed by radio

radio

noun

plural radios

Definition of radio (Entry 2 of 4)

1a : the wireless transmission and reception of electric impulses or signals by means of electromagnetic waves

b : the use of these waves for the wireless transmission of electric impulses into which sound is converted

2 : a radio message

3 : a radio receiving set

4a : a radio transmitting station

b : a radio broadcasting organization

c : the radio broadcasting industry

d : communication by radio

radio

verb

radioed; radioing; radios

Definition of radio (Entry 3 of 4)

transitive verb

1 : to send or communicate by radio

2 : to send a radio message to

intransitive verb

: to send or communicate something by radio

radio-

combining form

Definition of radio- (Entry 4 of 4)

— see radi-

Examples of radio in a Sentence

Noun

The news was sent by radio. I listen to the radio all the time. I heard the news on the radio. There's a problem with the car's radio. The radio was playing very loudly. The pilot's radio wasn't working.

Verb

The police radioed for backup. The stranded sailors were radioing for help. The pilot radioed in to the control tower. The police radioed a report back to the station. They radioed the Coast Guard for help.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Analyst and radio host Zerlina Maxwell called into question whether Sanders was still considering leaving her post; in June 2018, a CBS News report claimed that Sanders was considering stepping down, but Sanders pushed back on Twitter. — Lucy Diavolo, Teen Vogue, "Sarah Sanders Got Dragged for Tweeting About “Mueller Madness”," 26 Mar. 2019 After taking Dancing With the Stars by storm, country music radio host Bobby Bones is back. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "What the 'American Idol' Judges Really Think About Bobby Bones Being a Mentor," 19 Feb. 2019 Payment processing giant PayPal has cut off the account of Alex Jones—the latest in a long line of technology companies to cut ties with the radio host and online provocateur. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "PayPal bans Alex Jones, saying he “promoted hate”," 21 Sep. 2018 First came a pardon for Joe Arpaio, the former Arizona sheriff convicted of criminal contempt, whose case had been promoted by the right-wing radio host Alex Jones. — Campbell Robertson, New York Times, "Pardon Seekers Have a New Strategy in the Trump Era: ‘It’s Who You Know’," 12 July 2018 From there, Comer got a part in a radio drama and a couple of other gigs. — Danielle Stein Chizzik, Town & Country, "Jodie Comer Is Hollywood’s Next Great Chameleon," 8 Apr. 2019 That was without a major radio hit—typically the main driver of a pop-music breakthrough. — Anne Steele, WSJ, "Billie Eilish Has No Major Radio Hits. But She Does Have the No. 1 Album.," 8 Apr. 2019 Her husband, Prince Philip, reportedly delivered the news to her personally after hearing of the BBC's radio report of the news. — Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "Queen Elizabeth Will Officially Hit 67 Years on the Throne This Week—But Here's Why She Won't Celebrate the Occasion," 3 Feb. 2019 This being The Twilight Zone, the radio voice begins to tell the story of Sanderson's own flight. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Jordan Peele's Take on The Twilight Zone's "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" Breaks from the Original," 3 Apr. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The Nissan was spotted minutes later on the Dan Ryan, then an officer radioes about a crash at 79th and LaFayette. — Madeline Buckley, chicagotribune.com, "Minister drives by crash scene, not knowing wife died there: 'She was a beautiful, sweet, loving woman'," 11 May 2018 Frightened of retaliatory airstrikes, the militants withdrew quickly, radioing congratulations to each other, according to intelligence reports cited by Gov. Gooni and U.S. officials. — Michael M. Phillips, WSJ, "America’s Other Endless War: Battling al-Shabaab in Somalia," 17 Jan. 2019 Sevareid played a central role in introducing Americans to radio news, at the time a new form of reporting. — Marvin Kalb, WSJ, "Five Best: Marvin Kalb on Memoirs of War Reporting," 11 Jan. 2019 Then there’s the design, which employs a stem much like Apple’s AirPods — that should help keep an uninterrupted connection by pushing the wireless radios further away from the listener’s ear. — Vlad Savov, The Verge, "RHA’s TrueConnect buds look like a promising AirPods rival," 4 Oct. 2018 The wranglers could radio to each other, but otherwise our communications would be limited to yelling across the plain. — Ella Riley-adams, Vogue, "I Ditched My Phone for a Montana Cattle Drive (and Finally Dealt With My Feelings)," 3 Oct. 2018 Their mission is to blow up a key transmitter so German forces can’t radio in a warning about the big attack. — Bryan Bishop, The Verge, "Overlord is a gloriously entertaining piece of B-movie schlock," 9 Nov. 2018 He and another staffer secured themselves in a safe building and radioed zoo staff. — Kevin Mcgill, The Seattle Times, "Sharp teeth: Jaguar may have bitten through steel cable," 17 July 2018 Miles radioed to warn others of the discovery, likely saving hundreds of lives, but was never heard from again, his sister said. — Julia Terruso, Philly.com, "After Trump-Kim summit, Philly-area family asking 'What about my brother' could finally get an answer," 20 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'radio.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.