radio frequency

noun

: any of the electromagnetic wave frequencies that lie in the range extending from below 3 kilohertz to about 300 gigahertz and that include the frequencies used for communications signals (as for radio and television broadcasting and cell-phone and satellite transmissions) or radar signals

Examples of radio frequency in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At issue is telemetry, tracking, and command (TT&C), or how a company communicates and manages a satellite constellation using radio frequencies. —Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 17 Apr. 2026

The lack of identification hasn’t slowed down the clip’s spread online, where the contrast between strict aviation protocol and grown adults making cat and dog noises on an emergency radio frequency has resonated with just about everyone who’s heard it. —Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2026

The machine used radio frequencies and Morse Code to transmit up to 1,000 miles. —Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Apr. 2026

Researchers recorded a spectrum of radio frequencies during dozens of observations over 23 years. —Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 8 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1915, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for radio frequency

• multifrequency
• infrequency

Kids Definition

radio frequency

noun

: any of the electromagnetic wave frequencies between about 3 kilohertz and 300 gigahertz that are used especially in radio and television transmission and in radar

Medical Definition

radio frequency

noun

: any of the electromagnetic wave frequencies that lie in a range extending from below 3 kilohertz to about 300 gigahertz and that include the frequencies used for communications signals (as for radio and television broadcasting and cell-phone transmissions) or radar signals

—often hyphenated when used before another noun

radio-frequency waves