monsoon
the seasonal wind of the Indian Ocean and southern Asia, blowing from the southwest in summer and from the northeast in winter.
(in India and nearby lands) the season during which the southwest monsoon blows, commonly marked by heavy rains; rainy season.
any wind that changes directions with the seasons.
any persistent wind established between water and adjoining land.
Origin of monsoon
1Other words from monsoon
- mon·soon·al, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use monsoon in a sentence
They had killed the remaining horse, but the monsoonal rains descended, and in the steamy atmosphere the meat turned putrid.
The Explorers of Australia and their Life-work | Ernest Favenc
British Dictionary definitions for monsoon
/ (mɒnˈsuːn) /
a seasonal wind of S Asia that blows from the southwest in summer, bringing heavy rains, and from the northeast in winter
the rainy season when the SW monsoon blows, from about April to October
any wind that changes direction with the seasons
Origin of monsoon
1Derived forms of monsoon
- monsoonal, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for monsoon
[ mŏn-sōōn′ ]
A system of winds that influences the climate of a large area and that reverses direction with the seasons. Monsoons are caused primarily by the much greater annual variation in temperature over large areas of land than over large areas of adjacent ocean water. This variation causes an excess of atmospheric pressure over the continents in the winter, and a deficit in the summer. The disparity causes strong winds to blow between the ocean and the land, bringing heavy seasonal rainfall.
In southern Asia, a wind that is part of such a system and that blows from the southwest in the summer and usually brings heavy rains.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for monsoon
A wind system that affects large climatic regions and reverses direction seasonally.
Notes for monsoon
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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