airwaves

American

[air-weyvz] / ˈɛərˌweɪvz /

plural noun

the media of radio and television broadcasting.

The airwaves were filled with news flashes about the crisis.

airwaves British

/ ˈɛəˌweɪvz /

plural noun

informal radio waves used in radio and television broadcasting

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of airwaves

1895–1900, for earlier sense; air ¹ + waves (plural of wave )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The FCC equal time rules don’t apply to streaming, podcasts or cable TV because those mediums don’t use public airwaves.

From The Wall Street Journal

His producer wanted to run a live feed of the video, but Richard insisted on a review before it hit the airwaves.

From Literature

Belafonte did: He blended folk, pop and Caribbean traditions into a sound that remade the American airwaves.

From The Wall Street Journal

But he continued to broadcast on BBC airwaves notably as presenter of Radio 4's Something Understood, turning back to issues of faith and spirituality which had engaged him as a student.

From BBC

The American airwaves were given to companies focused primarily on producing entertainment, music and news content that delivered the biggest possible audiences to advertisers.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023