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wavelength

American  
[weyv-lengkth, -length, -lenth] / ˈweɪvˌlɛŋkθ, -ˌlɛŋθ, -ˌlɛnθ /
Or wave length

noun

  1. Physics. the distance, measured in the direction of propagation of a wave, between two successive points in the wave that are characterized by the same phase of oscillation.

idioms

  1. on the same wavelength, in sympathy or rapport.

    We seemed to be on the same wavelength from the moment we met.
wavelength British  
/ ˈweɪvˌlɛŋθ /

noun

  1.  λ.  the distance, measured in the direction of propagation, between two points of the same phase in consecutive cycles of a wave

  2. the wavelength of the carrier wave used by a particular broadcasting station

  3. informal having similar views, feelings, or thoughts (as someone else)

"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
wavelength Scientific  
/ wāv′lĕngkth′ /

  1. The distance between one peak or crest of a wave and the next peak or crest. It is equal to the speed of the wave divided by its frequency, and to the speed of a wave times its period.

wavelength Cultural  

  1. The distance between crests (or troughs) of a wave.

Etymology

Origin of wavelength

First recorded in 1855–60; wave + length

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.

They observed magnetic textures reaching distances of up to ~300 nm, far exceeding the size of a single moiré cell and roughly ten times larger than the underlying wavelength.

From Science Daily

A light source with a very tight wavelength, somewhere between ultraviolet light and X-rays, shines through a chip-shaped stencil and onto the silicon wafer.

From The Wall Street Journal

It’s nice to see them together, even if Campbell and Cox have always played their characters as foils on two different wavelengths.

From Los Angeles Times

"Traditional lithography uses photons and is fundamentally limited by the wavelength of light," Lu said.

From Science Daily

The system relies on SHG, a nonlinear optical phenomenon in which incoming light is converted into light with half the wavelength.

From Science Daily

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.