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

The lawsuit arose from reports by investigative website Mediapart and radio station France Inter based on accounts from 14 women who alleged he had groped, sexted and otherwise harassed them. — Sylvie Corbet, The Seattle Times, "6 French women on trial for alleging lawmaker harassed them," 4 Feb. 2019 One food truck owner told American University radio station WAMU that her sales were down by more than 50% outside the National Portrait Gallery. — Isabella Gomez, Teen Vogue, "5 Ways the Government Shutdown Is Impacting Americans," 3 Jan. 2019 Apple Music subscribers can ask Alexa to play songs from their personal playlists, the entire Apple Music library, or the service’s curated playlists and radio stations. — Dami Lee, The Verge, "Apple Music support hits Amazon Echo speakers," 14 Dec. 2018 People of color make up the majority of the Seventh District’s residents, but as local public radio station WBUR noted, white people make up the majority of the voters there. — Ella Nilsen, Vox, "Ayanna Pressley is the first black woman Massachusetts is sending to Congress," 7 Nov. 2018 All that as flourishes on a base model that includes a gearshift, detailed seats, a radio, and a working steering wheel, not to mention the V-8 engine, battery, and air filter under the hood. — Eric Limer, Popular Mechanics, "No Mustang in Your Driveway? Put One Made from Lego on Your Desk," 22 Feb. 2019 As marketers allocate more dollars to digital video and social platforms to reach consumers, digital ad spending is usurping traditional ad spending in mediums like television, radio, print and outdoor, Ms. Peart said. — Alexandra Bruell, WSJ, "Amazon’s Ad Business May Be Growing Faster Than Thought," 20 Feb. 2019 Hoye doesn’t agree when asked about Dennis Rodman’s assertion (to CBS Sports radio in April 2017) that those Warriors would beat, or even hang with, these Warriors. — Greg Bishop, SI.com, "Run TMC Lives on as the Rare Team Celebrated for Style Rather Than Record," 28 June 2018 Jeff revealed the news about his ten-year relationship on his Sirius XM radio show, Jeff Lewis Live. — Maya Mcdowell, House Beautiful, "'Flipping Out' Star Jeff Lewis Has Split with Gage Edwards," 1 Feb. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

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 Craig Chapman radioed the Sky Harbor tower, asking for police backup. — Ashleigh R Wilson, azcentral, "Yes, it really happened on an airport tarmac in metro Phoenix," 29 July 2016

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.