communications

IPA/kəmjˌuːnɪkˈeɪʃənz/
KK[kəmjˌunəkˈeʃənz]IPA/kəmjˌuːnəkˈeɪʃənz/

communications — noun

1. the systems, equipment, and industry used for sending messages over long distanc

1.nounB2
Definition

the systems, equipment, and industry used for sending messages over long distances by phone, internet, radio, or satellite.

Example

Aoi works for a large communications company that sells phone and internet plans.

noun + noun: communications company

The storm knocked out communications across three islands for almost a week.

knock out / lose communications: when systems stop working

Common collocations
  • communications network
  • communications satellite
  • communications industry
  • mobile communications
  • wireless communications
Synonyms
  • telecommunications

    more formal; same field but emphasizes electronic distance

  • media

    broader — also covers TV, press, and broadcasting content, not just the infrastructure

Grammar Patterns

communications + technology/network/satellite

in communications

Usage Note

Almost always plural. Often forms compound nouns (communications network, communications satellite, communications industry). Distinguish from sense 4 (rapport): this sense is about technology and infrastructure, not how well two people understand each other.

Common Mistakes

I study communication technology at university' (when meaning the field of phones and networks).
I study communications at university.
use the plural for the industry/field; singular 'communication' is the act of exchanging information.

2. letters, emails, phone calls, and other messages passed between people or groups

2.nounB2
Definition

letters, emails, phone calls, and other messages passed between people or groups, usually as a body of correspondence.

Example

Police have asked the bank to share all communications between the two managers.

communications between [people]

Ari kept every email, letter, and text — over six months of communications with the landlord.

Common collocations
  • written communications
  • private communications
  • official communications
  • all communications
  • intercept communications
Synonyms
  • correspondence

    very close synonym; slightly more formal and usually written

  • messages

    more everyday; less formal than communications

  • exchanges

    emphasises the back-and-forth nature

Grammar Patterns

communications between [parties]

communications from/to someone

all communications

Usage Note

Always plural with this sense; refers to the collection of messages as evidence, record, or correspondence, not to one individual message. Common in legal, business, and journalistic writing.

Common Mistakes

She sent a communications to her boss.
She sent a communication to her boss.
use singular 'communication' for one message; 'communications' is the plural set or category.

3. the academic subject that studies how people, organisations, and the media send

3.nounB2
Definition

the academic subject that studies how people, organisations, and the media send and receive messages effectively.

Example

Brooke is in her final year of communications at a city college.

The university offers communications as a four-year degree with a focus on digital media.

communications as a degree

Common collocations
  • communications degree
  • communications major
  • communications department
  • study communications
  • communications professor
Synonyms
  • media studies

    overlapping field; emphasises analysing mass media rather than producing messages

  • journalism

    narrower — focuses on news writing and reporting only

Grammar Patterns

study/major in communications

a degree in communications

communications major

Usage Note

When naming the academic field, the plural form takes singular agreement ('communications is a popular major'). Distinguish from sense 1 (technology industry) by context: a 'communications major' studies messaging theory, while a 'communications engineer' designs networks.

Common Mistakes

She majored in communication and now works for the BBC.' (when she studied the field)
She majored in communications and now works for the BBC.
the academic subject is conventionally plural in American English universities.

4. the friendly working relationship and easy exchange of ideas that exists between

4.nounC1
Definition

the friendly working relationship and easy exchange of ideas that exists between two people, teams, or organisations who trust each other.

Example

Communications between the teachers and the parents have improved a lot this year.

communications between [groups]: the working relationship

Lukas felt that open communications with his team were more important than strict rules.

open communications: built on trust

Common collocations
  • open communications
  • honest communications
  • poor communications
  • strained communications
  • improve communications
Synonyms
  • rapport

    very close; emphasises the warm feeling, often between two individuals

  • understanding

    broader; includes shared knowledge as well as ease of talking

Antonyms
  • miscommunication

    highlights specific failures rather than the absent relationship

Grammar Patterns

communications between [people/groups]

open / poor communications

Usage Note

Subject is usually a relationship between named groups or people; the focus is on quality of the relationship, not on the messages themselves (sense 2). Often paired with evaluative adjectives like 'open', 'honest', 'poor', or 'strained'.

Common Mistakes

They have a good communication.' (when describing the relationship)
They have good communications.
use the plural for an ongoing rapport between people or groups; singular suggests a single act.
Idioms

lines of communication

idiom

the routes, methods, or working relationships through which people, groups, or places stay in regular contact with each other.

Joaquín worked hard to keep lines of communication open between the head office and the small village clinics.

After the flood, lines of communication between the mountain town and the coast were cut for days.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words name parts of how messages travel at scale, but they sit at different points of the system. Communications is the everyday umbrella term for the whole industry and its networks — phone, internet, satellite, radio — and is the one a learner will see most often in job titles ('Director of Communications') and company names. Telecommunications is more formal and more technical, used by engineers and regulators when the focus is specifically on electronic transmission over distance. Media is broader still: it covers not just the channels but the content, including newspapers, TV shows, and social platforms. Broadcasting is the narrowest of the four, naming the act of sending content out to a wide audience, typically by radio or TV. A useful contrast: Aoi works in communications (any part of the industry), her brother is a telecommunications engineer (designs the networks), their cousin studies media (analyses what gets sent), and their aunt works in broadcasting (runs a local TV station).

communications ↗telecommunications ↗media ↗broadcasting ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • communications network
  • communications industry
  • communications technology
  • communications department
  • lines of communications

Phrases

  • break down communications
  • open up communications
  • improve communications
  • intercept communications
  • restore communications

Prepositions

  • between (parties)
  • with (a partner)
  • in (the field)

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Communications is the plural of communication, which came into English from the Latin communicatio meaning 'a sharing' — itself built from communis ('common, shared'). The plural form developed its own life in the late 1800s as the telegraph, telephone, and later radio created whole industries devoted to sending messages over distance; the singular kept the older meaning of one act of sharing information, while the plural specialised into the technology, the body of correspondence, and the academic field. Modern Mandarin renders it as 通訊 (the field), 通信 (correspondence), or 傳播 (the discipline), reflecting the same English split across one English word.