radio frequency

noun

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

Definition of radio frequency

: 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

Radio Frequencies Table

See radio frequency defined for kids

Recent Examples of radio frequency from the Web

As a radio frequency emitted by the Wydens draws the rapidly growing, destructive creatures to Chicago, the trio follows in hot pursuit, and the military starts closing in as well.

— alissa wilkinson, Vox, "Rampage is either transcendently dumb, surprisingly brilliant, or both," 12 Apr. 2018
The magnetic field will convert the axions into photons, and because the axions are very light, those photons will have very low radio frequencies and should provide an ultra-faint radio hum at a distinct frequency.

— adrian cho, Science | AAAS, "Search for superlight dark matter particles heats up," 9 Apr. 2018
When the pulses from the two lasers do overlap, two additional radio frequencies appear: these two new frequencies correspond to the separation between the colors from the two different lasers.

— chris lee, Ars Technica, "Lidar system images bullet in flight," 30 Mar. 2018
The tiny, grain-of-rice-size RFID (radio frequency identification) chip opens doors with a wave of your hand in front of a chip reader.

— david abrahams, Allure, "Human Microchipping Is Here, and It’s About to Rock Your Skin’s World," 26 Mar. 2018
But details of the agreement, circulated in Ghana, include giving Americans access to Ghanaian radio frequencies and an airport runway among other things.

— dionne searcey and eric schmitt, New York Times, "Deal With U.S. Military Sets Off Protests in Ghana," 28 Mar. 2018
The resonators, meanwhile, act like antennas, picking up and transmitting ambient radio frequencies.

— beth mole, Ars Technica, "Sticking to your diet? This tooth-mounted food sensor could transmit the truth," 24 Mar. 2018
His first major success was a company that made radio frequency components for telecoms networks.

— raine tiessalo, Bloomberg.com, "Finland’s Prime Minister Lambasts ‘Short-Sighted’ Trump Trade Policy," 21 Mar. 2018
Electrodes pulse radio frequency waves through the shells, targeting the space between the white and yolk where salmonella dwells.

— rebecca huval, WIRED, "No Refrigeration Necessary: New Tech for Everlasting Shelf-Life," 7 Mar. 2018

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

First Known Use of radio frequency

1915

Medical Dictionary

radio-frequency

adjective ra·dio-fre·quen·cy \ ˈrād-ē-ō-ˈfrē-kwən-sē \

medical Definition of radio-frequency

: of, relating to, using, or induced by radio frequencies

a new…procedure that uses radio-frequency heat to collapse veins
—Tara Parker-Pope

radio frequency

noun

medical Definition of radio frequency

: 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