1
: of, relating to, or operated by radiant energy
2
: of or relating to electric currents or phenomena (such as electromagnetic radiation) of frequencies between about 3000 hertz and 300 gigahertz
3
a
: of, relating to, or used in radio or a radio set
b
: specializing in radio or associated with the radio industry
c(1)
: transmitted by radio
(2)
: making or participating in radio broadcasts
d
: controlled or directed by radio
plural radios
1
a
: the wireless transmission and reception of electric impulses or signals by means of electromagnetic waves
b
: the use of these waves for the wireless transmission of electric impulses into which sound is converted
2
: a radio message
3
: a radio receiving set
4
a
: a radio transmitting station
b
: a radio broadcasting organization
c
: the radio broadcasting industry
d
: communication by radio
radioed; radioing; radios
: to send or communicate something by radio
see radi-
Examples of radio in a Sentence
Noun
The news was sent by radio.
I listen to the radio all the time.
I heard the news on the radio.
There's a problem with the car's radio.
The radio was playing very loudly.
The pilot's radio wasn't working.
Verb
The police radioed for backup.
The stranded sailors were radioing for help.
The pilot radioed in to the control tower.
The police radioed a report back to the station.
They radioed the Coast Guard for help.
Recent Examples on the Web
Gary Gerard Hamilton, Chicago Tribune, 22 Jan. 2023
Pence is a 61-year-old former Indiana governor, former member of Congress, an ex-radio host and an evangelical Christian.
—Arkansas Online, 8 Oct. 2020
Pence is a 61-year-old former Indiana governor and ex-radio host, an evangelical Christian known for his Midwestern charm and unwavering loyalty to Trump.
—Anchorage Daily News, 8 Oct. 2020
Pence is a 61-year-old former Indiana governor and ex-radio host, an evangelical Christian known for his folksy charm and unwavering loyalty to Trump.
—Steve Peoples, Star Tribune, 7 Oct. 2020
The vice president is a 61-year-old former Indiana governor and ex-radio host, an evangelical Christian known for his folksy charm and unwavering loyalty to Trump.
—The Associated Press, NOLA.com, 7 Oct. 2020
Thania Garcia, Variety, 3 May 2024
Who is Phil Donahue? Donahue began as a journalist at WHIO, an AM radio station based in Dayton, Ohio.
—Joey Garrison, The Enquirer, 3 May 2024
In addition to its radio airplay, the song earned 306,000 official U.S. streams in that span.
—Kevin Rutherford, Billboard, 3 May 2024
Former President Donald Trump presented the award to Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan and conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh.
Biden — who was given the award himself by former President Barack Obama — last handed out medals in July 2022 to a group that featured civil rights and labor leaders.
—Deepa Shivaram, NPR, 3 May 2024
Hialeah police did not disclose what prompted the killings or the way father rand son died, but a police radio recording indicates they were shot.
—Omar Rodríguez Ortiz, Miami Herald, 3 May 2024
Officials are now exploring radio alternatives that do not require batteries, the department said.
—Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024
Across the country from University of California, Los Angeles late April 30, a student-run radio station broadcast live as police cleared a building taken by protesters on the Columbia University campus, while other student journalists were confined to dorms and threatened with arrests.
—David Bauder and Christine Fernando, The Christian Science Monitor, 2 May 2024
San Francisco’s free Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, now in its 23rd year, showcases the music not often heard on commercial radio.
—John Woolfolk, The Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2024
David Kushner, WIRED, 4 Apr. 2024
Over the weekend, the U.S. private spacecraft Odysseus, which launched to the moon on February 15, was declared to be permanently dormant after failing to radio from the lunar south pole.
—Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Mar. 2024
As the chaos caused major delays, Academy staffers began radioing among themselves that the red carpet was being kept open later than expected.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2024
Ships in distress had radioed out dits and dahs from the era of the Titanic to the era of Titanic.
—Saahil Desai, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2024
The controller worked in a dark radar room, radioing commands to pilots and monitoring a screen with moving dots that represented planes flying across the region.
—Sydney Ember, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2023
The survivors in the boat were able to radio the overhead crew with still-functional equipment after the teams spotted their vessel and covered life raft, per the release.
—Christina Coulter, Fox News, 23 Oct. 2023
Lamb says Teran zipped up the tent, prompting him to radio for an officer with a pepper-ball gun.
—Hilary Beaumont, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2023
In the helicopter footage provided by the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Ilya is seen pushing his way through the field, while the pilot can be heard radioing down to ground searchers that the boy had been spotted.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY, 26 July 2023
Adjective
The first night of two Apollo weekend shows presented by SiriusXM, featured the 36-year-old ripping off songs at a frantic pace — most with just a verse and chorus — satisfying day-one fans with fan-favorite, deep non-radio cuts as well as those only familiar with his No. 1 hits.
—Gary Gerard Hamilton, Chicago Tribune, 22 Jan. 2023
Pence is a 61-year-old former Indiana governor, former member of Congress, an ex-radio host and an evangelical Christian.
—Arkansas Online, 8 Oct. 2020
Pence is a 61-year-old former Indiana governor and ex-radio host, an evangelical Christian known for his Midwestern charm and unwavering loyalty to Trump.
—Anchorage Daily News, 8 Oct. 2020
Pence is a 61-year-old former Indiana governor and ex-radio host, an evangelical Christian known for his folksy charm and unwavering loyalty to Trump.
—Steve Peoples, Star Tribune, 7 Oct. 2020
The vice president is a 61-year-old former Indiana governor and ex-radio host, an evangelical Christian known for his folksy charm and unwavering loyalty to Trump.
—The Associated Press, NOLA.com, 7 Oct. 2020
Noun
That very young teeny bopper song that was on the radio?
—Thania Garcia, Variety, 3 May 2024
Who is Phil Donahue? Donahue began as a journalist at WHIO, an AM radio station based in Dayton, Ohio.
—Joey Garrison, The Enquirer, 3 May 2024
In addition to its radio airplay, the song earned 306,000 official U.S. streams in that span.
—Kevin Rutherford, Billboard, 3 May 2024
Former President Donald Trump presented the award to Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan and conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh.
Biden — who was given the award himself by former President Barack Obama — last handed out medals in July 2022 to a group that featured civil rights and labor leaders.
—Deepa Shivaram, NPR, 3 May 2024
Hialeah police did not disclose what prompted the killings or the way father rand son died, but a police radio recording indicates they were shot.
—Omar Rodríguez Ortiz, Miami Herald, 3 May 2024
Officials are now exploring radio alternatives that do not require batteries, the department said.
—Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024
Across the country from University of California, Los Angeles late April 30, a student-run radio station broadcast live as police cleared a building taken by protesters on the Columbia University campus, while other student journalists were confined to dorms and threatened with arrests.
—David Bauder and Christine Fernando, The Christian Science Monitor, 2 May 2024
San Francisco’s free Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, now in its 23rd year, showcases the music not often heard on commercial radio.
—John Woolfolk, The Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2024
Verb
Throughout it all, Marchant would radio each day and give the OK message back to base.
—David Kushner, WIRED, 4 Apr. 2024
Over the weekend, the U.S. private spacecraft Odysseus, which launched to the moon on February 15, was declared to be permanently dormant after failing to radio from the lunar south pole.
—Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Mar. 2024
As the chaos caused major delays, Academy staffers began radioing among themselves that the red carpet was being kept open later than expected.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2024
Ships in distress had radioed out dits and dahs from the era of the Titanic to the era of Titanic.
—Saahil Desai, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2024
The controller worked in a dark radar room, radioing commands to pilots and monitoring a screen with moving dots that represented planes flying across the region.
—Sydney Ember, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2023
The survivors in the boat were able to radio the overhead crew with still-functional equipment after the teams spotted their vessel and covered life raft, per the release.
—Christina Coulter, Fox News, 23 Oct. 2023
Lamb says Teran zipped up the tent, prompting him to radio for an officer with a pepper-ball gun.
—Hilary Beaumont, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2023
In the helicopter footage provided by the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Ilya is seen pushing his way through the field, while the pilot can be heard radioing down to ground searchers that the boy had been spotted.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY, 26 July 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'radio.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to radio
Dictionary Entries Near radio
Cite this Entry
“Radio.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/radio. Accessed 18 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
radio
1 of 4 noun
ra·dio
ˈrād-ē-ˌō 
plural radios
1
: the sending or receiving of signals using electromagnetic waves without a connecting wire
radio includes television and radar
especially
: the use of these waves to carry sound that has been changed into electrical energy
2
: a radio receiving set
a transistor radio
3
: the radio broadcasting industry
radio
2 of 4 adjective1
: of, relating to, or operated by radiant energy especially at radio frequencies
2
: of, relating to, or used in radio or a radio
radio commercials
radio
3 of 4 verb
: to communicate or send a message to by radio
radio-
4 of 4 combining form1
: radiant energy : radiation
radioactive
2
: radioactive
radiocarbon
Etymology
Noun
a shortened form of radiotelegraphy, literally, "telegraphy by rays"; radio- from French radio- "radial, radiating," from Latin radius "ray, beam, spoke" — related to radiate, radius, ray entry 2
Combining form
derived from Latin radius "ray, beam, spoke"
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