acid rain

[ as-id reyn ]

noun

1. precipitation, as rain, snow, or sleet, containing relatively high concentrations of acid-forming chemicals, as the pollutants from coal smoke, chemical manufacturing, and smelting, that have been released into the atmosphere and combined with water vapor: harmful to the environment.

acid rain

noun

1. rain that contains a high concentration of pollutants, chiefly sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, released into the atmosphere by the burning of fossil fuels such as coal or oil

acid rain

1. A type of precipitation made up of dilute acids , primarily a by-product of heavy industry.

Notes

Acid rain is a result of the combination of water with chemicals released into the atmosphere by the burning of fossil fuels .

Word History and Origins

Origin of acid rain¹

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

Through the 1970s and 1980s, many of Vermont’s trees began to sicken and die en masse, a phenomenon linked to acid rain from cars and smokestacks, before 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act helped reverse the decline.

From Time

The acid rain crisis was addressed through market forces—but those forces were brought to bear by Big Government and the Environmental Protection Agency through the organization and enforcement of emissions markets and penalties.

From Fortune

State-by-state laws on the pollutants causing acid rain would not have worked nearly as well, particularly since the causes of acid rain were Midwest power plants while victims were mainly East Coast states.

From Fortune

And we'll take additional action to restore our lakes and develop new technology to reduce pollution that causes acid rain.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• carbon dioxide
• fog
• smoke
• soot