antenna

antenna — noun

1. one of two thin, flexible stalks growing from the head of an insect, lobster, or

1.nounB2
Definition

one of two thin, flexible stalks growing from the head of an insect, lobster, or similar creature, which the animal moves around to feel, smell, or taste things in its surroundings.

Example

The ant waved its antennae over the sugar before carrying a grain home.

plural form: antennae for animals

Uri watched a moth fold its feathery antennae against the porch light.

Common collocations
  • wave its antennae
  • twitching antennae
  • pair of antennae
  • long antennae
Synonyms
  • feeler

    everyday word for the same organ; common in children's books

  • horn

    loose, informal label sometimes used for snail antennae

Usage Note

The plural for animal organs is usually 'antennae' /ænˈtɛni/ in scientific or careful writing, though 'antennas' is also accepted in everyday English.

Common Mistakes

The bee has two antennas on its body.
The bee has two antennae on its head.
for insects use the plural 'antennae', and the organs grow on the head, not the body.

2. a metal rod, wire, or dish attached to a radio, television, car, or phone, which

2.nounB1
Definition

a metal rod, wire, or dish attached to a radio, television, car, or phone, which picks up or sends out signals so the device can receive or broadcast sound, pictures, or data.

Example

Kenji climbed onto the roof to fix the bent television antenna after the storm.

fix / install + antenna

The old taxi had a long silver antenna sticking up from the back window.

Common collocations
  • television antenna
  • radio antenna
  • adjust the antenna
  • satellite antenna
Synonyms
  • aerial

    more common in British English for the same device

  • dish

    specifically a large bowl-shaped antenna for satellite or radar

Usage Note

Common in American English; British speakers more often say 'aerial' for the same object. Plural is 'antennas' (not 'antennae') when talking about equipment.

Common Mistakes

I bought two new radio antennae for the car.
I bought two new radio antennas for the car.
for equipment the plural is 'antennas'; 'antennae' is reserved for animal organs.

3. an instinctive feel for picking up small clues about people, moods, or danger, u

3.nounC1
Definition

an instinctive feel for picking up small clues about people, moods, or danger, used to describe someone who quickly senses what is really going on around them.

Example

A good teacher needs antennae for spotting which child is quietly upset.

antennae for + V-ing or noun phrase

Detective Park's political antennae warned her that the witness was hiding something.

[adjective] + antennae

Common collocations
  • political antennae
  • social antennae
  • antennae go up
  • sharp antennae
Synonyms
  • intuition

    more general; an inner feeling without focus on small clues

  • instinct

    stronger, often automatic; less about reading subtle signals

  • sixth sense

    informal; suggests almost mysterious awareness

Antonyms
  • obliviousness

    complete failure to notice what is happening around one

Grammar Patterns

have antennae for + noun

antennae be up

Usage Note

Almost always plural ('antennae' or 'antennas'). Frequently modified by an adjective (political, social, sharp, fine) showing what kind of awareness is meant. Distinguish from sense 1: this is metaphorical and refers to perception, not a physical organ.

Common Mistakes

She has a good antenna for office gossip.
She has good antennae for office gossip.
this figurative sense is normally plural, even when describing one person's ability.

Word family

  • antennae
    noun (plural)B2
  • antennas
    noun (plural)B1
  • antennal
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

All four words name equipment that handles radio or television signals, but they sit at different points in the system. 'Antenna' is the most general American term and covers anything from a small wire on a phone to a tall mast on a hill. 'Aerial' means the same physical object but is preferred in British English; a Londoner says 'roof aerial', a New Yorker says 'roof antenna'. 'Dish' refers to one specific bowl-shaped antenna, used mainly for satellite TV or radar. 'Receiver' is broader and names the whole device that turns the signal into sound or pictures, so a radio receiver contains an antenna inside it. Compare: 'The antenna was bent' (the rod outside) versus 'The receiver was broken' (the box itself).

antenna ↗aerial ↗dish ↗receiver ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • radio antenna
  • television antenna
  • car antenna
  • satellite antenna
  • antenna cable

Phrases

  • adjust the antenna
  • extend the antenna
  • antenna picks up a signal

Prepositions

  • antenna on (a roof / car)
  • antenna for (signals / news)

Etymology

LatinScientific LatinItalianEnglish

From Latin 'antenna', meaning the long pole or yard that held up a ship's sail. In the 1600s, scientists writing in Latin borrowed this image to describe the slender feelers on insects, since they stuck out from the head like a ship's spar. The radio meaning is much newer: in the early 1900s, Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi used 'antenna' for the wires he raised to catch radio waves, and English picked up his usage. The modern figurative sense — quick instinct for clues — grew out of the insect meaning during the 20th century.