Fahrenheit

American  

[far-uhn-hahyt, fahr-uhn-hahyt] / ˈfær ənˌhaɪt, ˈfɑr ənˌhaɪt /

noun

1. Gabriel Daniel 1686–1736, German physicist: devised a temperature scale and introduced the use of mercury in thermometers.

---

adjective

1. noting, pertaining to, or measured according to a temperature scale Fahrenheitscale in which 32° represents the ice point and 212° the steam point. F

Fahrenheit ¹ British  

/ ˈfærənˌhaɪt /

adjective

1.  F.  of or measured according to the Fahrenheit scale of temperature

---

Fahrenheit ² British  

/ ˈfaːrənhait /

noun

1. Gabriel Daniel (ˈɡaːbrieːl ˈdaːnieːl). 1686–1736, German physicist, who invented the mercury thermometer and devised the temperature scale that bears his name

---

Fahrenheit ¹ Scientific  

/ făr′ən-hīt′ /

1. Relating to or based on a temperature scale that indicates the freezing point of water as 32° and the boiling point of water as 212° under standard atmospheric pressure.

---

Fahrenheit ² Scientific  

1. German physicist who invented the mercury thermometer in 1714 and devised the Fahrenheit temperature scale.

---

Fahrenheit ¹ Cultural  

1. A temperature scale according to which water freezes at 32 degrees and boils at 212 degrees. The scale was devised by Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit, an instrument maker of the eighteenth century, born in Germany.

---

Fahrenheit ² Cultural  

1. A temperature scale, used primarily in the United States, in which the freezing point of water is 32 degrees and the boiling point 212 degrees. Temperatures in this scale are denoted by °F or, in scientific usage, F alone. (Compare Celsius.)

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Fahrenheit

Inside, mud bricks are baking at 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

Their holy grail, which Mr. Ballard calls “one of the most rare, difficult, and dangerous athletic feats on the planet,” is the Ice Mile, swum in water 41 degrees Fahrenheit or colder.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

Student Kaneesha Kumar, 22, was walking her thick-coated dog Chance along Manhattan's Third Avenue where the mercury reached 93 Fahrenheit.

From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026

Several all-time records were broken, including a reading of 90 degrees Fahrenheit at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 12, 2026

The speed of sound, about 761 miles per hour at sea level in dry air at 59 degrees Fahrenheit, varied depending on temperature, altitude, and humidity.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly