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

Suspicious drones can be disabled through jamming their radio frequencies or hacking into their controllers. —J.d. Miles, CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025

Treatments combine lasers, radio frequency, microcurrent and LED with sculpting massage and lymphatic drainage. —Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 7 Dec. 2025

The designs can vary significantly depending on the building’s construction materials, floor plans, and the radio frequencies used by local fire departments. —Niurys Robaina, Miami Herald, 4 Dec. 2025

In addition, optical communications via laser do not require a license to operate, unlike radio frequencies. —Didi Kirsten Tatlow, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Nov. 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