wavelength
noun
wave·length
| \ ˈwāv-ˌleŋ(k)th
\
\
Definition of wavelength
1
: the distance in the line of advance of a wave from any one point to the next point of corresponding phase
2
: a particular course or line of thought especially as related to mutual understanding
two people on different wavelengths
Examples of wavelength in a Sentence
Light and sound have different wavelengths.
Recent Examples on the Web
These movements change the light wavelength of the star, going between red and blue depending on the location of the planet. — Ashley Strickland, CNN, "Second exoplanet found around a curious star," 19 Aug. 2019 Multiple attendees testify to the life-changing power of linking up with so many young people on their wavelength: anti-war, anti-establishment, plugged into the same music and the same drugs. — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, "Why Woodstock Can Never Happen Again," 6 Aug. 2019 If Einstein was right, the black hole would warp space and time in a way that extended the wavelength of light from S0-2. — NBC News, "Einstein showed Newton was wrong about gravity. Now scientists are coming for Einstein.," 3 Aug. 2019 Scientists compare general relativity’s predictions of this effect, called gravitational redshift, to the measured wavelengths of incoming light from stars like S0-2 to test whether the theory holds true. — Emily Toomey, Smithsonian, "A Star Orbiting in the Extreme Gravity of a Black Hole Validates General Relativity," 25 July 2019 The fluorescent protein glows when the cell is illuminated by a certain wavelength of light, which visually labels the associated structure. — Quanta Magazine, "His Artificial Intelligence Sees Inside Living Cells," 24 July 2019 Now a single metalens can focus all the wavelengths of white light onto the same spot. — Alberto Moscatelli, Scientific American, "Tiny Lenses Will Enable Design of Miniature Optical Devices," 1 July 2019 Rainbows occur when sunlight — including all wavelengths of visible light, which together appear as white light — pinballs in and out of water droplets (usually rain, but sometimes water spray, or the droplets that form mist or fog). 5. — Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, "20 Things You Didn't Know About Rainbows," 22 Apr. 2019 What’s more, the inexpensive white LEDs often found in street lights emit wavelengths of blue light that bounce around in the atmosphere, potentially increasing sky glow. — Babak Tafreshi, National Geographic, "Our nights are getting brighter, and Earth is paying the price," 3 Apr. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'wavelength.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for wavelength
wavelength
noun
English Language Learners Definition of wavelength
technical
: the distance from one wave of energy to another as it is traveling from one point to another point
informal
—used especially in the phrases on the same wavelength and on a different wavelength to say that people share or do not share a way of thinking
See the full definition for wavelength in the English Language Learners Dictionary
wavelength
noun
wave·length
| \ ˈwāv-ˌleŋth
\
\
Kids Definition of wavelength
: the distance in the line of advance of a wave from any one point to the next similar point
wavelength
noun
wave·length
| \ -ˌleŋ(k)th
\
\
Medical Definition of wavelength
: the distance in the line of advance of a wave from any one point to the next point of corresponding phase
—symbol λ
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