Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
electronic countermeasures

electronic countermeasures

1 7.7
To use electronic devices to stop or confuse enemy radar and signals
  • noun
  • /ɪˌlɛktrɒnɪk ˈkaʊntərˌmɛʒərz/
  • Specialized
translation icon : contramedidas electrónicas
  • The military used electronic countermeasures to disrupt the enemy's radar systems during the operation.
  • electronic countermeasure systems

Examples

  • Likely disruption of communication by NATO electronic countermeasures.

    Academic text (1991)

  • My career includes electronics intelligence, electronic countermeasures, sonar, radar, military communications, and radio design.

    Blog text (1)

  • The new PLAAF combat aircraft force of the 21st century will be controlled by airborne early warning aircraft, refueled by tankers, and supported by electronic countermeasures and intelligence collection aircraft.

    Academic text (2002)

  • The jamming was so heavy now that Chagda was virtually blind, the surface-search radar a jumble of spikes and false targets, the electronic countermeasures ineffective.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Many modern fighter jets are equipped with advanced electronic countermeasures to protect against incoming threats.

  • Effective electronic countermeasures can prevent enemy forces from accurately detecting or targeting friendly units.

Synonyms

ECM
vselectronic countermeasures
  • Specialized
1 8.7

Actions that use electronic devices to stop or confuse enemy radar and missiles

is the full phrase rather than the short abbreviation

How Disruptive

electronic countermeasures
  • Specialized
1 7.7
EW
  • Specialized
4 9.6

Surface Forms

electronic countermeasures singular
electronic countermeasures plural

Morphology

electronic + countermeasure

The phrase is a straightforward adjective + noun composition: 'electronic' specifies the means and 'countermeasures' denotes measures taken to oppose or mitigate something, so the overall meaning — measures carried out using electronic technology to counter threats — is directly derivable from the parts. This compositional pattern is common across languages and therefore an average B1 learner who knows both constituents should grasp the general sense (though technical specifics like the electromagnetic spectrum are domain-specific).

Etymology

Electronic countermeasures comes from a simple military image: using electronic devices to send fake or loud radio signals that 'confuse' enemy radar and make it lose track of a target. The word countermeasures shows these are actions to 'fight back', so the phrase means using electronics to 'block' or 'reduce' an enemy's ability to find or track you.