atmosphere

American  

[at-muhs-feer] / ˈæt məsˌfɪər /

noun

atmospheres plural

1. the gaseous envelope surrounding the earth; the air.

   a weather balloon rising high into the atmosphere.

2. this medium at a given place.

   the warm, dry atmosphere of the Joshua tree's natural environment.

3. Astronomy. the gaseous envelope surrounding a heavenly body.

   The white ovals seen in Saturn's atmosphere could be intense storms.

4. Chemistry. any gaseous envelope or medium.

   The ether was treated with a sulfate in an atmosphere of coal gas.

5. a conventional unit of pressure, the normal pressure of the air at sea level, about 14.7 pounds per square inch (101.3 kilopascals), equal to the pressure exerted by a column of mercury 29.92 inches (760 millimeters) high. atm.

6. a surrounding or pervading mood, environment, or influence.

   an atmosphere of impending war;

   a very tense atmosphere.

7. the dominant mood or emotional tone of a work of art, as of a play or novel.

   the chilly atmosphere of a ghost story.

8. a distinctive quality, as of a place; character.

   The old part of town has lots of atmosphere.

9. Radio, Television, Movies. Also atmospheres, atmos the background sound that is present, or would naturally be present, in the location where a recording or broadcast is made, often recorded as a separate track and then mixed; ambient sound.

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verb (used with object)

atmosphered, atmosphering

1. to give an atmosphere to.

   The author had cleverly atmosphered the novel for added chills.

atmosphere British  

/ ˈætməsˌfɪə /

noun

1. the gaseous envelope surrounding the earth or any other celestial body See also troposphere stratosphere mesosphere ionosphere

2. the air or climate in a particular place

   the atmosphere was thick with smoke

3. a general pervasive feeling or mood

   an atmosphere of elation

4. the prevailing tone or mood of a novel, symphony, painting, or other work of art

5. a special mood or character associated with a place

6. any local gaseous environment or medium

   an inert atmosphere

7. Abbreviation: at.   atm.  a unit of pressure; the pressure that will support a column of mercury 760 mm high at 0°C at sea level. 1 atmosphere is equivalent to 101 325 newtons per square metre or 14.72 pounds per square inch

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atmosphere Scientific  

/ ăt′mə-sfîr′ /

1. The mixture of gases surrounding the Earth or other celestial body, held in place by gravity. It forms distinct layers at different heights. The Earth's atmosphere consists, in ascending order, of the troposphere (containing 90% of the atmosphere's mass), the stratosphere, the mesosphere, the thermosphere, and the exosphere. The atmosphere is composed primarily of nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%) and plays a major role in the water cycle, the nitrogen cycle, and the carbon cycle.

2. See more at exosphere mesosphere stratosphere thermosphere troposphere

3. A unit of pressure equal to the pressure of the air at sea level, about 14.7 pounds per square inch, or 1,013 millibars.

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atmosphere Cultural  

1. The blanket of gas on the surface of a planet or satellite.

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Discover More

The atmosphere of the Earth is roughly eighty percent nitrogen and twenty percent oxygen, with traces of other gases. (See ionosphere, stratosphere, and troposphere.)

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• atmosphereless
  adjective
• atmospheric
  adjective
• atmospherically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• atmospheres
  plural

Etymology

Origin of atmosphere

From the New Latin word atmosphaera, dating back to 1630–40. See atmo-, -sphere

Explanation

An atmosphere is a surrounding environment or influence. If you and your coworkers talk behind each other's backs, you will create a nasty atmosphere at work. Atmosphere was coined by 17th-century scientists combining the Greek words for vapor, atmos, and sphere, sphaira. The earth's atmosphere is the air and gas surrounding our planet. Atmosphere also describes the feeling of a place. A coffee shop might have a cool, artsy atmosphere. Some plants grow best in a damp atmosphere. In physics, atmosphere is a unit of pressure equal to the air pressure at sea level.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

atmosphere atmospheres atmosphered

It will be a red-hot atmosphere, and it will be hard enough for England playing 11 v 11, so cool heads will be imperative.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

Its come-as-you-are atmosphere was deeply familiar to Graham, who grew up selling hot dogs in his parents’ pool hall about 14 miles east in Central.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

Instead, much of that dissolved carbon remains suspended in deep ocean waters, where it can stay for hundreds or even thousands of years before gradually returning to the surface ocean and eventually the atmosphere.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026

“Mexico was the best host of the three. It had the best atmosphere — it’s a country that truly loves soccer,” Mexico City native Santiago Mondragón said before the England match.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026

Should musicians be engaged to enhance the spooky atmosphere?

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

One leading explanation is that these worlds possess enormous atmospheres rich in hydrogen and helium that account for a large fraction of their total mass.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 27, 2026

With their bold scripts, memorable atmospheres and breathtaking visual landscapes, these films were enough to reinstate some faith in the Hollywood machine.

From Salon ● Jun. 10, 2026

The Bournemouth International Centre has been known to produce some famous atmospheres for previous Billam-Smith fights, and it delivered once again.

From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026

"Roman won't analyze atmospheres in the same in-depth way as missions like NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, but it will gather different information on a much larger scale," Wilson said.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 1, 2026

Using the arm computer, I had the suit overpressurize to 1.2 atmospheres.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

Eric Ambler led a school during the United Front period of the '30s with wonderfully atmosphered thrillers in which the heroes, or their allies, were Soviet security men.

From Time Magazine Archive

Not after all the other new Earths, freezing cold or methane atmosphered or at best completely waterless.

From The First Day of Spring by Wolf, Mari

Or rather, it left its ghosts behind it, ever shifting forms and shadows, each atmosphered in its own ethereal mood.

From Weighed and Wanting by MacDonald, George

It had atmosphered itself with rich perfume, and something far richer, for three thousand miles.

From Among the Forces by Warren, Henry White

Related Words

• air
• ambience
• aura
• character
• climate
• color
• environment
• feel
• feeling
• flavor
• mood
• place
• quality
• scene
• sense
• space
• spirit
• surroundings
• taste
• tone