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

Sensors mounted on the rear and sides give operators a 360-degree view, while spatial audio and radio frequency detection alert them to nearby or hidden threats. —Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2025

The crew is also testing to make sure information is read instantly and correctly from radio frequency identification tags available to travelers for purchase, Grondin said. —Natalie Davies, Freep.com, 26 Sep. 2025

Bolstering our capabilities of traditional radio frequency communications with the power and benefits of optical communications will allow NASA to meet these new requirements. —Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 23 Sep. 2025

The agency said there were equipment issues that affected some radio frequencies in the Philadelphia TRACON area that handle Newark arrivals and departures. —Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 28 Aug. 2025

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