wavelength

noun wave·length \ ˈwāv-ˌleŋ(k)th \

|Updated on: 17 Jul 2018

Examples: wavelength in a Sentence

Definition of wavelength

1 : the distance in the line of advance of a wave from any one point to the next point of corresponding phase

2 : a particular course or line of thought especially as related to mutual understanding

two people on different wavelengths

See wavelength defined for English-language learners

See wavelength defined for kids

Examples of wavelength in a Sentence

Light and sound have different wavelengths.

Recent Examples of wavelength from the Web

Air on Earth scatters shorter-wavelength light, including most of the blues and greens (which trickle down to us on the planet’s surface), leaving the longer reds to spotlight the moon.

— katherine j. wu, Smithsonian, "The Century’s Longest Lunar Eclipse Will Shroud the Moon This Month," 2 July 2018
This employs long-wavelength light to penetrate into and scatter from biological tissues, building up a three-dimensional picture of that tissue.

— The Economist, "The eye's structure holds information about the health of the mind," 28 June 2018
Astronomers could also use the instruments to do surveys—to look at the whole sky in one wavelength band, for example—or to give brighter or nearby objects the attention that other telescopes may lavish on more distant and foreign bodies.

— sarah scoles, WIRED, "NASA’s New Plan: Do More Science With Small Satellites," 21 June 2018
But the analysis was limited to asteroids with the most reliable long-wavelength infrared measurements by WISE, a tiny fraction of the 158,000 that Neowise had analyzed.

— New York Times, "Asteroids and Adversaries: Challenging What NASA Knows About Space Rocks," 14 June 2018
Unlike shorter radio wavelengths, ELFs travel through water and can be picked up by submarines at operating depth as deep as several hundred feet and several experiments tested this methods sub-aquatic communication abilities.

— david hambling, Popular Mechanics, "China's Giant Ionosphere-Zapping Radar Is a Defense System Masquerading as Science," 12 June 2018
The $399 price point does put the Beam on the same wavelength as Apple’s HomePod and Google’s Home Max speaker, and the device will likely have some appeal for those who already own Sonos speakers but not a Sonos soundbar.

— jeff dunn, Ars Technica, "Sonos launches a new mini soundbar, pegs AirPlay 2 support for July," 6 June 2018
Each has different wavelengths and thus penetrates skin to different depths.

— michael nedelman, CNN, "Do kids need a different kind of sunscreen?," 22 May 2018
Another possible choice is Kellyanne Conway, who, crucially, is one of few senior aides able to communicate on Mr. Trump’s wavelength, as Ms. Hicks could.

— james hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Visuals and ego motivate Trump to take a harder line on Putin," 30 Mar. 2018

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

First Known Use of wavelength

1850

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

WAVELENGTH Defined for English Language Learners

wavelength

noun

Definition of wavelength for English Language Learners

: the distance from one wave of energy to another as it is traveling from one point to another point
—used especially in the phrases on the same wavelength and on a different wavelength to say that people share or do not share a way of thinking

WAVELENGTH Defined for Kids

wavelength

noun wave·length \ ˈwāv-ˌleŋth \

Definition of wavelength for Students

: the distance in the line of advance of a wave from any one point to the next similar point

Medical Dictionary

wavelength

noun wave·length \ -ˌleŋ(k)th \

medical Definition of wavelength

: the distance in the line of advance of a wave from any one point to the next point of corresponding phase —symbol λ

Learn More about wavelength

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

Seen and Heard

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

show

wavelength

Definition of wavelength

Examples of wavelength in a Sentence

Recent Examples of wavelength from the Web

First Known Use of wavelength

WAVELENGTH Defined for English Language Learners

wavelength

Definition of wavelength for English Language Learners

WAVELENGTH Defined for Kids

wavelength

Definition of wavelength for Students

Medical Dictionary

wavelength

medical Definition of wavelength

Learn More about wavelength

Seen and Heard

WORD OF THE DAY

paste

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

Words at Play

'Kayfabe': It's Illusive and Elusive

Words We're Watching: 'Laze'

5 Words for Clumsy People

'Flight': A Great Way To Try New Things

Ask the Editors

Ghost Word

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

Literally

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

Word Games

Test Your Emoji Exceptionalism

Obscure Shapes

Spell It

Add Diction

'Kayfabe': It's Illusive and Elusive

Trending: Pirro: I'm Not an 'Ideologue'

5 Words for Clumsy People

Test Your Emoji Exceptionalism

Ghost Word

wavelength

Definition of wavelength

Examples of wavelength in a Sentence

Recent Examples of wavelength from the Web

First Known Use of wavelength

WAVELENGTH Defined for English Language Learners

wavelength

Definition of wavelength for English Language Learners

WAVELENGTH Defined for Kids

wavelength

Definition of wavelength for Students

Medical Dictionary

wavelength

medical Definition of wavelength

Learn More about wavelength

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

'Kayfabe': It's Illusive and Elusive

Trending: Pirro: I'm Not an 'Ideologue'

5 Words for Clumsy People

Test Your Emoji Exceptionalism

Ghost Word