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Glite Dictionary
radio detection and ranging

radio detection and ranging

4.2
A system that finds distant objects like planes or ships by sending radio pulses and hearing echoes
  • noun
  • /ˈreɪdioʊ dɪˈtɛkʃən ənd ˈreɪndʒɪŋ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : radar
  • Early airport security depended heavily on advances in radio detection and ranging technology.

Examples

  • Many ships rely on radio detection and ranging for navigation.

  • Meteorologists rely on radio detection and ranging to monitor storms and predict weather patterns.

  • The development of radio detection and ranging transformed military and civilian navigation systems.

  • The radio detection and ranging system is crucial for aviation safety.

  • The military uses radio detection and ranging to track enemy aircraft during operations.

  • Many modern ships are equipped with radio detection and ranging systems to navigate safely in busy waters.

  • Pilots rely on radio detection and ranging technology to ensure safe landings at airports.

Synonyms

radar
vsradio detection and ranging
  • Specialized
367 4.1

A machine that uses radio waves to find objects and show their distance and speed

aims mainly to detect and locate distant objects from echoed pulses
detector
vsradio detection and ranging
  • Specialized
189 3.5

A device that senses things like metal, movement, or radioactivity

is a specialised instrument that uses echoed pulses to detect and locate distant objects
radiolocation
vsradio detection and ranging
  • Specialized
1 8.4

A system that uses radio waves to find distant objects by measuring echoes

is the actual instrument that uses echoed pulses to detect and locate objects
microwave radar
vsradio detection and ranging
  • Specialized
4.2

A system that sends short bursts of microwaves to find how far away objects are

focuses on echo returns from those pulses to locate distant objects

How Far

radio detection and ranging
  • Specialized
4.2
PIR
  • Specialized
8.1

Surface Forms

radio detection and ranging singular
radio detections and rangings plural

Morphology

radio + detection + and + range

The phrase is literally compositional: 'radio' (using radio waves) + 'detection' (discovering/locating) + 'ranging' (measuring distance), so a learner who knows those constituent meanings can infer it denotes a system that detects and measures distance using radio waves. This technical naming follows transparent, cross-linguistic compositional patterns (and appears as the acronym RADAR), making the meaning accessible to B1 learners.

Etymology

Radio detection and ranging names exactly what the system does: it sends out radio waves and listens for an 'echo' to do the detection and to measure 'distance' in the ranging. Imagine shouting in a dark room and using the echo to find how far away the walls are — that image shows why the phrase means a system that finds and tells how far away objects are.