shortwave

noun, often attributive

short·wave | \ ˈshȯrt-ˌwāv

How to pronounce shortwave (audio)

\

Definition of shortwave

1 : a radio wave having a wavelength between 10 and 100 meters

2 : a radio transmitter or receiver using shortwaves

3 : electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength equal to or less than that of visible light

Examples of shortwave in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web By the morning of the 5th, Duluth was virtually isolated from the outside world except for shortwave radio. — Star Tribune, "Warm Weather Continues - Watching The Thunder Threat Next Week," 3 Mar. 2021 Rupert developed a facility with technology as a boy taking apart and repairing shortwave radios. — Richard Sandomir, BostonGlobe.com, "Rupert Neve, the father of modern studio recording, dies at 94," 19 Feb. 2021 Cooper used not only his book, but also in-person lectures, mail-order cassette tapes and a show on shortwave radio to share his understanding of a master plan to destroy the world. — AZCentral.com, "How William Cooper and his book ‘Behold a Pale Horse’ planted seeds of QAnon conspiracy theory," 1 Oct. 2020 The shortwave show, not so much, said Nolan Udall, who met Cooper when he was hired as a handyman to patch his roof and fix his water heater. — AZCentral.com, "How William Cooper and his book ‘Behold a Pale Horse’ planted seeds of QAnon conspiracy theory," 1 Oct. 2020 Despite the best efforts of the North Korean dictatorship, news gets into that country, via shortwave radio and other means. — Jay Nordlinger, National Review, "Up from North Korea," 4 May 2020 So are television signals, shortwave radio, AM, FM and satellite radio, and even the light from the sun and household light fixtures. — Kim Komando, USA TODAY, "The great 5G coronavirus conspiracy," 20 Apr. 2020 But on that December Saturday, Clinton listened to the game via shortwave radio with a group of American friends. — George Schroeder, USA TODAY, "50 years ago, the Big Shootout between Arkansas and Texas lived up to billing," 6 Dec. 2019 The service beams its Uighur-language reports for two hours each day via shortwave radio and satellite. — The Economist, "To suppress news of Xinjiang’s gulag, China threatens Uighurs abroad," 24 Oct. 2019

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

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about shortwave

Dictionary Entries near shortwave

short-toed eagle

Statistics for shortwave

Last Updated

12 Mar 2021

Cite this Entry

“Shortwave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shortwave. Accessed 7 May. 2021.

Style: MLA

MLA

Chicago

APA

Merriam-Webster Check Mark Icon

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for shortwave

shortwave

noun

English Language Learners Definition of shortwave

: a radio wave with a wavelength between 10 and 100 meters

: a radio or receiver that uses shortwaves

See the full definition for shortwave in the English Language Learners Dictionary

shortwave

noun

short·wave | \ ˈshȯrt-ˈwāv

\

Medical Definition of shortwave

1 : a radio wave having a wavelength between 10 and 100 meters

2 : electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength equal to or less than that of visible light

Comments on shortwave

What made you want to look up shortwave? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

WORD OF THE DAY

archipelago

Listen to the pronunciation of archipelago

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Star Wars Words Quiz

The bounty portion of bounty hunters (such as Boba Fett) comes from a Latin word meaning

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ

Universal Daily Crossword

A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.

TAKE THE QUIZ