What does microwave mean?
Microwave is a familiar word with both a domestic and a scientific meaning. In everyday use, it usually names an appliance that heats or cooks food rapidly by exposing it to microwave radiation. The appliance works by causing water molecules and other components in food to move, generating heat through friction. In physics, a microwave is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths of approximately 1 millimetre to 1 metre. This radiation is used not only in cooking but also in communications, radar, astronomy, and satellite technology. The word may therefore refer to an oven, to the radiation used by an oven, or more broadly to a region of the electromagnetic spectrum. In conversation, “microwave” almost always means the appliance, whereas scientific and technical contexts tend to distinguish the radiation more explicitly. The word combines the elements “micro-” and “wave,” reflecting the comparatively short wavelengths of this form of radiation.
An electrical appliance that uses microwave radiation to heat or cook food. The term also denotes electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths of roughly 1 millimetre to 1 metre.
"The microwave beeped when the meal was ready."
As a shortened noun, it commonly means a microwave oven; technical contexts may specify “microwave radiation” to distinguish the physical phenomenon.
To heat, cook, or defrost something using microwave radiation, usually in a microwave oven. In specialized contexts, the verb can also mean to emit microwave radiation.
"You can microwave the rice for about three minutes."
The plural is standard for both multiple appliances and multiple instances or forms of microwave radiation.
"Several microwave ovens are available in the staff kitchen."
The name means “small wave”: microwaves are radio waves with wavelengths from about 1 millimetre to 1 metre.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does microwave come from?
“Microwave” combines “micro-,” a combining form derived from Greek mikros, meaning “small,” with “wave.” The compound was used in physics by the early 20th century for electromagnetic waves of very short wavelength. By the mid-20th century, it had become established as shorthand for a microwave oven, as household appliances using the technology became widely available.
Related word forms
How microwave is actually used
The shortened noun “microwave” is especially common for a microwave oven, while technical writing may use “microwave radiation” or the plural “microwaves” when referring to the electromagnetic waves themselves. The verb is standard in everyday and scientific contexts.