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

Some hospitals, including Rush University Medical Center, have added a second layer of protection: using sponges with radio frequency identification technology. —Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2025

Cellphones emit radio frequency radiation, which has far less energy than ionizing radiation, such as that released by medical X-rays. —Aria Bendix, NBC news, 22 Mar. 2025

In just thousandths of a second, an FRB can emit as much energy as the sun does over three days, typically at a radio frequency of about 1,400 hertz. —John Loeffler, Space.com, 7 Feb. 2025

Analyst Joseph Moore upgraded the semiconductor and radio frequency chipmaker to overweight from equal weight and lifted his price target by $16 to $106. —Pia Singh, CNBC, 21 Jan. 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