wireless

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adjective wire·less \ˈwī(-ə)r-ləs\

Definition of wireless

1 : having no wire or wires; specifically : operating by means of transmitted electromagnetic waves a wireless remote
2a : of or relating to radiotelephony, radiotelegraph, or radio a wireless phoneb : of or relating to data communications using radio waves wireless Internet access

wirelessly

adverb

See wireless defined for English-language learners

See wireless defined for kids

Examples of wireless in a Sentence

The video game console comes with wireless controllers.
The café offers free wireless Internet access.

Recent Examples of wireless from the Web

The principal settlement agreement was filed with the PSC on April 19, with a second agreement – dealing solely with issues regarding the placement of cable television and telecommunication lines and wireless facilities on KU or LG&E utility poles –

— sheldon s. shafer, The Courier-Journal, "Your monthly LG&E bill will go up, but not as high as originally requested", 22 June 2017
Moviegoers can listen the old-fashioned way, on an FM radio station in the car, or on wireless headphones.

— lisa beebe, Los Angeles Magazine, "This Summer You Can Watch Movies About the Valley in the Valley", 22 June 2017
Founded in 2000, Skyriver provides wireless internet to businesses.

— mike freeman, sandiegouniontribune.com, "This company aims to boost wireless internet speeds for businesses", 16 June 2017
But wireless technology is inching its way toward being at least in the ballpark with fiber and cable in terms of speeds and costs.

— mike freeman, sandiegouniontribune.com, "This company aims to boost wireless internet speeds for businesses", 16 June 2017
Meter reading will eventually be done electronically, by radio or other wireless signals.

— sandra baker, star-telegram, "Fort Worth to replace lead water lines found on east side", 13 June 2017
DARPA also wants the device to be wireless, the size of a nickel and ready in four years, which is an incredibly aggressive deadline, according to MIT Technology Review.

— edd gent, Washington Post, "Brain-computer interfaces are coming: ‘Consensual telepathy,’ anyone?", 11 June 2017
The G933 Artemis Spectrum boasts wireless connectivity to go along with support for DTS and Dolby audio.

— gieson cacho, The Mercury News, "Logitech G433 headset has style to go along with substance", 10 June 2017
Holsinger said his former employee is following in the footsteps of local success stories such as TSheets, an Eagle timecard software company, and Cradlepoint, which builds wireless routers and offers cloud networking and protection services.

— zach kyle, idahostatesman, "Now 26, Boisean dropped out of college and built multimillion-dollar company", 4 June 2017

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

First Known Use of wireless

1894

wireless

noun wire·less

Definition of wireless

1 : telecommunication (such as wireless telegraphy or radiotelephony) involving signals transmitted by radio waves rather than over wires; also : the technology used in radio telecommunication
2 chiefly British : radio

See wireless defined for English-language learners

Examples of wireless in a Sentence

She listened to the wireless every Monday night.

Recent Examples of wireless from the Web

That’s why the American Minitel failed—and why people should be concerned about ISPs being able to restrict the traffic on broadband and wireless networks.

— julien mailland, The Atlantic, "Minitel, the Open Network Before the Internet", 16 June 2017
These new wireless technologies, some of which are targeted for next generation 5G mobile networks, tap abundant, very high frequency airwaves to unleash gigabit-class speeds.

— mike freeman, sandiegouniontribune.com, "This company aims to boost wireless internet speeds for businesses", 16 June 2017
Maybe Amazon or another tech company could play spoiler in wireless or broadband service, too.

— shira ovide, The Seattle Times, "Lines between cable, phone and internet get more blurry: Is that a good thing?", 4 June 2017
Since then, T-Mobile has become the wireless industry leader in signing up new customers and overtook Sprint to become the nation’s third-largest carrier.

— mark davis, kansascity, "Sprint CEO visited Washington amid press for T-Mobile merger", 2 June 2017
SHOP HERE Plantronics BackBeat Fit Pro Bluetooth Headphones Let dad get his sweat on in the gym without worrying about those pesky wires getting in the way with these wireless bluetooth headphones from Plantronics.

— the si staff, SI.com, "12 Father's Day gift ideas for the active dad", 22 May 2017
The strike covers employees with AT&T wireless, wireline and DirectTV in 36 states.

— leada gore, AL.com, "37,000 AT&T workers on 3-day strike; Alabama employees remain on the job", 20 May 2017
One of its rivals, T-Mobile, is strictly wireless, which some analysts say gives it an advantage in a rapidly approaching future in which many customers will receive both phone and video service over wireless networks alone.

— noam scheiber, star-telegram, "AT&T workers start 3-day strike in contract impasse", 19 May 2017
His brother, Bob, was the C.E.O. of Brightpoint, a Fortune 500 wireless-services company.

— benjamin wallace, HWD, "Can Anyone Repair National Lampoon’s Devastated Brand?", 19 May 2017

First Known Use of wireless

1903

WIRELESS Defined for English Language Learners

wireless

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adjective

Definition of wireless for English Language Learners

: not using wires to send and receive electronic signals : sending and receiving electronic signals by using radio waves
: of or relating to the use of radio waves to send and receive electronic signals