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• wind chill
  wind chill

  noun

  the apparent temperature felt on the exposed human body owing to the combination of temperature and wind speed.
• wind-chill
  wind-chill

  noun

wind chill

American  

[wind chil, win-] / ˈwɪnd ˌtʃɪl, ˈwɪn- /

Or windchill

noun

Meteorology.

1. the apparent temperature felt on the exposed human body owing to the combination of temperature and wind speed.

   Sorry, but when the wind chill is below zero, I lose all interest in skiing.

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wind-chill British  

/ wɪnd- /

noun

1. 1. the serious chilling effect of wind and low temperature: it is measured on a scale that runs from hot to fatal to life and allows for varying combinations of air temperature and wind speed

   2. ( as modifier )

      wind-chill factor

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Etymology

Origin of wind chill

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

wind chill wind-chill

“It’s the wind and wind chill coupled with temperatures below freezing that tend to push the operating tolerances beyond their thresholds.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 27, 2026

Numerous protesters lined the perimeter of an ICE facility at Fort Snelling in St. Paul, where the temperature was reported to be well below 20 degrees with the wind chill.

From Salon ● Jan. 23, 2026

In Chicago, the wind chill could fall to negative 35 degrees Fahrenheit overnight on Thursday.

From Barron's ● Jan. 22, 2026

Temperatures across the UK will range between about 5 to 8C, but as a brisk easterly wind develops, a wind chill in the south will make it will feel closer to freezing.

From BBC ● Feb. 7, 2025

The wind chill must be twenty below and I don’t have a hat or mittens.

From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson

Deploy fans: Ceiling fans create a wind-chill effect that makes a room feel several degrees cooler, allowing you to set the thermostat higher.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026

As winds strengthen in some places there will be an added wind-chill.

From BBC ● Feb. 5, 2026

On Sunday night, when the Rams play the Chicago Bears in an NFC divisional-round at Soldier Field, game-time temperatures could include a wind-chill below zero degrees.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 14, 2026

Des Moines could see temperatures of 10 below zero, with wind-chill as low as 30 below, according to the National Weather Service.

From New York Times ● Jan. 15, 2024

Sled dog teams, including Balto’s, transported vials of diphtheria antitoxin in a 674-mile relay from Nenana, Alaska, braving intense winds and wind-chill temperatures of –85 degrees Fahrenheit.

From Scientific American ● Apr. 27, 2023