- [uncountable, countable] the rate at which something happens or is repeated
- Fatal road accidents have decreased in frequency over recent years.
- Dawn was then visiting New York with increasing frequency.
- a society with a high/low frequency (= happening often/not very often) of stable marriages
- Users will be able to rearrange their icons by frequency of use.
- The program can show us word frequency (= how often words occur in a language).
Extra Examples- Crime can increase in frequency in less settled neighbourhoods.
- The drug can reduce the frequency and severity of attacks.
- These incidents have increased in frequency.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- great
- increased
- increasing
- …
- decrease in
- increase in
- decrease
- …
- with frequency
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- [uncountable] the fact of something happening often
- the alarming frequency of computer errors
- The relative frequency of this illness in the area is of concern to all doctors.
- with… frequency Objects like this turn up at sales with surprising frequency.
- Bullets bounced off the rock with alarming frequency.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- great
- increased
- increasing
- …
- decrease in
- increase in
- decrease
- …
- with frequency
- [countable, uncountable] (specialist) the rate at which a sound or electromagnetic wave vibrates (= moves up and down)
- a high/low frequency
- Electromagnetic waves of radio frequency can make molecules vibrate and heat up.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- high
- low
- microwave
- …
- range
- spectrum
- band
- …
- [countable, uncountable] (specialist) the number of radio waves for every second of a radio signal
- a frequency band
- an FM radio frequency
- There are only a limited number of broadcasting frequencies.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- high
- low
- microwave
- …
- range
- spectrum
- band
- …
Word Originmid 16th cent. (gradually superseding late Middle English frequence; originally denoting a gathering of people): from Latin frequentia, from frequens, frequent- ‘crowded, frequent’.
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frequency