radio telescope

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

ˈra•di•o ˈtel•e•scope, n. [countable]

1. Astronomy a large antenna, often one shaped like a dish, used to detect radio waves given off by stars, galaxies, and other sources in space.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

ra′dio tel′escope, [Astron.]

1. Astronomy a system consisting of an antenna, either parabolic or dipolar, used to gather radio waves emitted by celestial sources and bring them to a receiver placed in the focus.

• 1925–30

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

radio telescope noun

1. an instrument consisting of an antenna or system of antennas connected to one or more radio receivers, used in radio astronomy to detect and analyse radio waves from space