atmosphere
Americannoun
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the gaseous envelope surrounding the earth; the air.
a weather balloon rising high into the atmosphere.
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this medium at a given place.
the warm, dry atmosphere of the Joshua tree's natural environment.
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Astronomy. the gaseous envelope surrounding a heavenly body.
The white ovals seen in Saturn's atmosphere could be intense storms.
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Chemistry. any gaseous envelope or medium.
The ether was treated with a sulfate in an atmosphere of coal gas.
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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.
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a surrounding or pervading mood, environment, or influence.
an atmosphere of impending war;
a very tense atmosphere.
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the dominant mood or emotional tone of a work of art, as of a play or novel.
the chilly atmosphere of a ghost story.
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a distinctive quality, as of a place; character.
The old part of town has lots of atmosphere.
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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
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the gaseous envelope surrounding the earth or any other celestial body See also troposphere stratosphere mesosphere ionosphere
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the air or climate in a particular place
the atmosphere was thick with smoke
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a general pervasive feeling or mood
an atmosphere of elation
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the prevailing tone or mood of a novel, symphony, painting, or other work of art
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a special mood or character associated with a place
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any local gaseous environment or medium
an inert atmosphere
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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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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.
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See more at exosphere mesosphere stratosphere thermosphere troposphere
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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
- atmosphereless adjective
- atmospheric adjective
- atmospherically adverb
Etymology
Origin of atmosphere
From the New Latin word atmosphaera, dating back to 1630–40. See atmo-, -sphere
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.
The atmosphere in Altadena has in some ways been less politically charged, but local activists say that was by design.
From Los Angeles Times
The 57,744 crowd against France was Wales' lowest home attendance in the Six Nations, but the Principality Stadium atmosphere was electric with a spectacular half-time show.
From BBC
For the first time, astronomers have charted the vertical structure of Uranus's upper atmosphere, revealing how temperature and electrically charged particles change with altitude across the planet.
From Science Daily
For all that, Tudor has specialised in fast starts in charge of clubs, a powerful personality whose arrival delivers an extra ingredient to what was already going to be a super-charged atmosphere.
From BBC
Northrop Grumman External link CEO Kathy Warden says that her company, which makes communications, missiles, and intelligence assets that operate above the atmosphere, has seen “expansive growth” in space.
From Barron's
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.
