Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Relating to or being electromagnetic radiation between radio waves and infrared waves in the electromagnetic spectrum, having frequencies between 300 megahertz and 300 gigahertz and wavelengths between 1 meter and 1 millimeter.
  • noun A wave of microwave radiation.
  • noun Informal A microwave oven.
  • transitive verb To cook or heat (food) in a microwave oven.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun An electromagnetic wave with wavelength between that of infrared light and radio waves.
  • noun A microwave oven.
  • verb transitive To cook (something) in a microwave oven.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a short electromagnetic wave (longer than infrared but shorter than radio waves); used for radar and microwave ovens and for transmitting telephone, facsimile, video and data
  • noun kitchen appliance that cooks food by passing an electromagnetic wave through it; heat results from the absorption of energy by the water molecules in the food
  • verb cook or heat in a microwave oven

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

micro- +‎ wave

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word microwave.

Examples

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket (but not in his hand!).

    October 5, 2007

  • Good grief, oroboros--what have you been reading this evening?? Such amazing factoids! :-)

    October 5, 2007

  • And thus the M&Ms slogan also came into being that day.

    October 5, 2007

  • Short for microwave oven.

    December 31, 2007