atmosphere
Americannoun
-
atmospheres
plural
-
the gaseous envelope surrounding the earth; the air.
a weather balloon rising high into the atmosphere.
-
this medium at a given place.
the warm, dry atmosphere of the Joshua tree's natural environment.
-
Astronomy. the gaseous envelope surrounding a heavenly body.
The white ovals seen in Saturn's atmosphere could be intense storms.
-
Chemistry. any gaseous envelope or medium.
The ether was treated with a sulfate in an atmosphere of coal gas.
-
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.
-
a surrounding or pervading mood, environment, or influence.
an atmosphere of impending war;
a very tense atmosphere.
-
the dominant mood or emotional tone of a work of art, as of a play or novel.
the chilly atmosphere of a ghost story.
-
a distinctive quality, as of a place; character.
The old part of town has lots of atmosphere.
-
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.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
the gaseous envelope surrounding the earth or any other celestial body See also troposphere stratosphere mesosphere ionosphere
-
the air or climate in a particular place
the atmosphere was thick with smoke
-
a general pervasive feeling or mood
an atmosphere of elation
-
the prevailing tone or mood of a novel, symphony, painting, or other work of art
-
a special mood or character associated with a place
-
any local gaseous environment or medium
an inert atmosphere
-
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
-
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.
-
See more at exosphere mesosphere stratosphere thermosphere troposphere
-
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.
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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing atmosphere
Over The Moon: Planetary Vocabulary
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Physical Geography - Introductory
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Weather and Climate - Introductory
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Melvyn Moyes, who was in the city centre with his brother Ken to cheer on the team, described the atmosphere as "buzzing".
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
In the tents erected in Munich for Oktoberfest, the atmosphere can be intoxicating enough without the alcohol.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
Featuring an expansive open-concept living and dining space, the oversized windows and light-colored fixtures throughout the home create a light and airy atmosphere.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
The atmosphere, weather and nighttime limit how much power ground-based systems can harness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
I’d come to understand what the girl in the locker room had meant when she said a touch of the exotic, what Mr. Haber had meant by atmosphere.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
If a disk loses its gas too quickly, developing planets may not have enough time to accumulate the enormous atmospheres needed to become gas giants.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026
A lot of us have worked for employers that try to create family or party-like atmospheres in one way or another.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Kavinsky was a defining act of the Paris electronic scene of the 2000s and 2010s, whose neon-smeared synths and noirish atmospheres lent themselves to L.A. freeways and Montmartre nightclubs alike.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
He and his colleagues also plan to use the model to search for additional rocky worlds with atmospheres.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
The corresponding surface pressure is 90 atmospheres, 90 times the pressure we feel from the Earth’s atmosphere, the equivalent of the weight of water 1 kilometer below the surface of the oceans.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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 Mari Wolf
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 George MacDonald
It had atmosphered itself with rich perfume, and something far richer, for three thousand miles.
From Among the Forces by Henry White Warren
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
