radio

adjective ra·dio \ ˈrā-dē-ˌō \

Definition of radio

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

3 a :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

Origin and Etymology of radio

²radio or radio-

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1887

See Words from the same year

Other Telecommunications Terms

Ethernet, intercept

radio

noun

Definition of radio

plural radios

1 a :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

4 a :a radio transmitting station

b :a radio broadcasting organization

c :the radio broadcasting industry

d :communication by radio

See radio defined for English-language learners

See radio defined for kids

Examples of radio in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of radio from the Web

France Info radio said at least some of the photographers took pictures before help arrived — and that one of the photographers was beaten at the scene by horrified witnesses.

— jennifer amur, Washington Post, "How Britain and the world mourned Diana, the ‘People’s Princess,’ over 8 days in 1997," 31 Aug. 2017
There's a reason why SiriusXM hired former Florida and South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier for appearances on its College Sports Nation radio show.

— ron higgins, NOLA.com, "Steve Spurrier says a lot of things, but `Roll Tide' isn't one of them," 30 Aug. 2017
Michael G. Nastos has been to every Detroit Jazz Festival as a media member, radio broadcaster, stage MC and international journalist.

— michael g. nastos, Detroit Free Press, "2017 Detroit Jazz Festival: Can't-miss music highlights from Labor Day weekend," 30 Aug. 2017
Zebra inserts two small radio frequency identification (RFID) tags in the shoulder pads of each player, one on either side, and receivers located around a stadium then triangulate the position of the tags.

— tom taylor, SI.com, "NFL Technology: What’s New for the 2017 Season," 30 Aug. 2017
No, Headrick was too busy deciphering the crackle of her old handheld AM-FM radio to be bothered with worry.

— Alaska Dispatch News, "Harvey again makes 2nd landfall in Louisiana, this time as a tropical storm," 30 Aug. 2017
Students and the community were outraged to the point where a local radio DJ locked himself into the tower until enough funds could be raised for the university to hire a new carillonneur.

— Naperville Sun, "Letters to the editor: Support Naperville's Carillon," 25 Aug. 2017
But pieces like this are meant to be tucked away for a good reread on a rainy day, not blasted on the radio.

— autumn miller, Seventeen, "Taylor Swift Has Become the Mean Girl She Used to Sing About," 25 Aug. 2017
In addition to radio waves, neutron stars emit x-rays because their surfaces are extremely hot, in the neighborhood of a million degrees.

— nadia drake, National Geographic, "Strange Stars Caught Wrinkling Spacetime? Get the Facts.," 25 Aug. 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of radio

short for radiotelegraphy

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1903

See Words from the same year

Other Telecommunications Terms

Ethernet, intercept

radio

verb

Definition of radio

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

See radio defined for English-language learners

Examples of radio in a Sentence

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 of radio from the Web

When the U.S. Coast Guard radioed that vessel had settled minutes later, five dozen divers hit the water.

— elizabeth roberts, Sun-Sentinel.com, "New Pompano reef doesn't disappoint, divers say," 29 Aug. 2017
According to the incident report, the correction officer radioed for help and was able to escape, but Baldwin chased her down and continued to try to strike her.

— toriano porter, kansascity, "Blue Springs murder suspect is accused of assaulting female guard day after arrest," 5 Aug. 2017
Richards immediately radioed the plane, according to a police report, but Vitantonio, 27, had already jumped.

— janet brindle reddick, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Sky diver did not deploy parachute; he sent wife video before he jumped," 14 July 2017
A Rwandan officer assured him that the garrison commander had defected and radioed him to prove it.

— The Economist, "Paul Kagame, feted and feared," 13 July 2017
This was the Giants, 49ers and Warriors radio flagship.

— richard deitsch, SI.com, "LGBTQ media members discuss their experiences, future, Ryan O’Callaghan and more," 25 June 2017
Off Texas, the U.S. Coast Guard helped the four-member crew of a shrimp trawler limp back to shore at Freeport after the crew radioed in distress amid fears of sinking early Wednesday.

— CBS News, "Effects of weakening Tropical Depression Cindy linger," 22 June 2017
Adam West, senior constable for Victoria state police, said the man never entered the cockpit of the plane, which landed safely after the pilot radioed a request for assistance about 11:40 p.m. (9:40 a.m. ET).

— alex johnson, NBC News, "Passengers Stop Man Trying to Storm Cockpit of Malaysian Airliner in Australia," 31 May 2017
Several days later, the Narwhal received another distress call, this time from boaters who radioed that an ocean kayaker had become overcome by heat exhaustion and was in danger of drowning.

— david c. henley, Daily Pilot, "Narwhal, a Coast Guard cutter with a proud history, is ready for any eventuality," 26 May 2017

First Known Use of radio

1913

Other Telecommunications Terms

Ethernet, intercept

radio-

Definition of radio-

— see radi-

RADIO Defined for English Language Learners

radio

noun

Definition of radio for English Language Learners

: the system or process that is used for sending and receiving signals through the air without using wires
: programs that are broadcast by radio
: a device that is used to receive the signals that are broadcast by radio

radio

verb

Definition of radio for English Language Learners

: to send a message to someone by radio

RADIO Defined for Kids

radio

noun ra·dio \ ˈrā-dē-ˌō \

Definition of radio for Students

plural radios

1 :the process that is used for sending or receiving signals by means of electromagnetic waves without a connecting wire

2 :a device that receives signals sent by radio

3 :programs that are broadcast by radio

4 :a device used to both send and receive messages by radio

5 :the radio broadcasting industry

radio

adjective

Definition of radio for Students

1 :of or relating to radio waves

2 :of, relating to, or used in radio broadcasting

radio

verb

Definition of radio for Students

radioed; radioing

:to communicate or send a message to by radio

Learn More about radio

See words that rhyme with radio Spanish Central: Translation of radio Nglish: Translation of radio for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of radio for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about radio

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Origin and Etymology of radio

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Origin and Etymology of radio

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radio

Definition of radio

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First Known Use of radio

Other Telecommunications Terms

radio-

Definition of radio-

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radio

Definition of radio for English Language Learners

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