temperature
noun
tem·per·a·ture
| \ ˈtem-pər-ˌchu̇r
, ˈtem-pə-, -p(ə-)rə-, -chər, -ˌtyu̇r, -ˌtu̇r
\
, ˈtem-pə-, -p(ə-)rə-, -chər, -ˌtyu̇r, -ˌtu̇r
\
Definition of temperature
1a
: degree of hotness or coldness measured on a definite scale
b
: the degree of heat that is natural to the body of a living being
c
: abnormally high body heat
running a temperature
2a
: relative state of emotional warmth
scandals raised the political temperature
b
: mood
testing the temperature of voters
Examples of temperature in a Sentence
Water boils at a temperature of 212°F.
The samples are kept at a constant temperature.
The weatherman predicted unusually low temperatures for the area.
the normal body temperature of 98.6°F
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Recent Examples on the Web
The 10 hottest years since 1880, when modern temperature records began, all have occurred since 1998, according to NASA and NOAA. — Paul Rogers, The Mercury News, "Will concern about climate change affect the presidential race?," 4 Sep. 2019 Whereas the global temperature record goes back more than 150 years, records for hurricanes get very sparse prior to the 1970s, when satellites first began beaming back images covering all the world's oceans. — Brandon Miller, CNN, "Climate change makes storms like Dorian more dangerous," 4 Sep. 2019 Of the temperature records set, 13 were above 100 degrees, said Becky Bolinger, assistant state climatologist for the Colorado Climate Center at Colorado State University. — Kirk Mitchell, The Denver Post, "Labor Day was hottest September day ever for more than 50 locations in Colorado," 3 Sep. 2019 The state recorded its warmest month ever this July and Anchorage has broken a series of high-temperature records. — Tegan Hanlon, Anchorage Daily News, "Low water supply in two Kenai Peninsula communities prompts disaster declaration," 31 Aug. 2019 Any temperature increase above 1.5 degrees could be especially dangerous, bringing more natural disasters, heat waves, drought and flooding, scientists say. — NBC News, "What is the 'Green New Deal,' and how would it work?," 23 Aug. 2019 Welcome to the Last Frontier, where record-breaking heat is shattering temperature records. — Geof Koss, Scientific American, "Alaska Reels During Summer of Fire, Heat and Floods," 21 Aug. 2019 The Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium set temperature records. — Umair Irfan, Vox, "Wildfires are burning around the world. The most alarming is in the Amazon rainforest.," 20 Aug. 2019 Abiding by the non-binding agreement would limit the temperature increase to just 0.01 degrees Celsius, which would only cut world real GDP per capita by 1.07 percent. — Fox News, "Climate change will shrink 'virtually all' economies around the globe by 2100, study warns," 19 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'temperature.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for temperature
temperature
noun
English Language Learners Definition of temperature
: a measurement that indicates how hot or cold something is : a measurement in degrees showing the heat of something (such as air or water)
: a measurement of the heat in a person's body
: a level of heat that is above what is normal for the human body
See the full definition for temperature in the English Language Learners Dictionary
temperature
noun
tem·per·a·ture
| \ ˈtem-pə-rə-ˌchu̇r
, -prə-ˌchu̇r, -pə-ˌchu̇r, -chər\
, -prə-ˌchu̇r, -pə-ˌchu̇r, -chər\
Kids Definition of temperature
1
: degree of hotness or coldness as measured on a scale
2
: abnormally high body heat : fever
temperature
noun
tem·per·a·ture
| \ ˈtem-pə(r)-ˌchu̇(ə)r
, -p(ə-)rə-
, -chər, -ˌt(y)u̇(ə)r\
, -p(ə-)rə-
, -chər, -ˌt(y)u̇(ə)r\
Medical Definition of temperature
1
: degree of hotness or coldness measured on a definite scale — see thermometer
2a
: the degree of heat that is natural to a living body
a normal oral temperature of about 98.6°F
b
: a condition of abnormally high body heat
was running a temperature
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