near field communication

noun

: a technology for digitally transmitting information over short distances (usually between a smartphone and another device) using radio waves

Examples of near field communication in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web With hero pieces including pinstripe and plaid blazers and bombers with core items like black and white tank tops and the brand’s emblematic baseball caps, all pieces are embedded with near field communication (NFC) chips within satin patches. Stephanie Hirschmiller, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024 Customers entering a participating restaurant can tap their phone on an NFC (near field communication) reader to create a Blackbird membership in the form of an NFT. Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune Crypto, 4 Oct. 2023 The telemetry unit may not need a battery, instead relying on a passive antenna coil to inductively transfer the data to a nearby radio-frequency identification device (RFID) or a near field communication (NFC) reader. IEEE Spectrum, 27 Nov. 2018 Here’s the crucial bit: Offline digital euro payments—which would use mobile devices’ near field communication (NFC) chips, removing the need for a working data connection—are supposed to retain all the anonymity that comes with handing someone a physical banknote. Bydavid Meyer, Fortune, 28 June 2023 For example, all new smartphones are capable of near field communication, which is primarily used for contactless electronic payment systems, such as Apple Pay. IEEE Spectrum, 27 Nov. 2018 Since Apple rolled out Apple Pay in October 2014, more than 220,000 retailers have partnered with the company to offer contact-less mobile payments, letting Apple devices wirelessly communicate with checkout machines using near field communication (NFC) technology. Amy Kraft, The Week, 26 Feb. 2018 With the use of NFC (near field communication) tags, geo-fencing and built-in bar code readers, maintenance managers were instantly aware when a technician arrived on the job. Bill Fahey, Forbes, 2 Aug. 2022 The system relies on near field communication, or NFC, to securely connect. Mark Gurman, Bloomberg.com, 8 Feb. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'near field communication.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1996, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of near field communication was in 1996

Dictionary Entries Near near field communication

near-fall

near field communication

near gale

Cite this Entry

“Near field communication.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/near%20field%20communication. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.

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