Skip to main content
on the radar

on the radar

10 4.1
People notice and pay attention to it
  • idiom
translation icon : estar en la agenda
  • After launching their new campaign, the brand is on the radar of potential customers.
  • on the radar screen

So much so when there is this statistical blip on the radar, they stop to evaluate.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • The environmental issue is now on the radar of many politicians who had previously ignored it.

  • Since the merger, the company's performance has been on the radar of industry analysts.

  • From what I have read, this organization is on the radar of many individuals with AS.

    Blog text (16)
  • South Korea had already been on the radar screen for many investors.

    Blog text (1)
  • However, September 11 put this region on the radar screen of many policymakers for different reasons.

    Academic text (2004)
  • Household spending did register on the radar of the formal economy as consumption.

    Academic text (2005)
  • He's been on the radar for about three years and he's been a very busy boy.

Synonyms

noticeable
vson the radar
65 3.2

Easy to see, hear, or recognize

is about being kept in someone's attention or considered important
noticed
vson the radar
1.0

People see and pay attention to it

is a continuing state of being considered important or watched

Antonyms

12 7.1

Not noticed or known by most people

How Noticed

noticed
1.0
on the radar
10 4.1
unnoticed
57 2.5

Surface Forms

Morphology

on + the + radar

The phrase maps directly onto the literal image of something being detected: 'radar' = a detection device and 'on' = located upon, so 'on the radar' naturally extends to being noticed or under observation. This is a simple, widely used metaphorical composition (with 'the' functionally empty) that a B1 learner who knows the constituent words can readily infer.

Etymology

On the radar comes from how a radar machine shows a plane or ship as a dot on a screen; if the dot appears, the person watching can see it. So if something is on the radar, it is 'noticed' or 'under attention', just like that visible dot on the screen.