Dictionary.com

dew point

Save This Word!

noun
the temperature to which air must be cooled, at a given pressure and water-vapor content, for it to reach saturation; the temperature at which dew begins to form.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
Also called dew-point temperature.

Origin of dew point

First recorded in 1825–35
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dew point in a sentence

  • Actually it is full enough of dust-nuclei to outfit a fullgrown fog if the dewpoint should be favorable.

    Reading the Weather|Thomas Morris Longstreth

British Dictionary definitions for dew point

dew point

noun
the temperature at which water vapour in the air becomes saturated and water droplets begin to form
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for dew point

dew point

The temperature at which the water vapor contained in a volume of air at a given atmospheric pressure reaches saturation and condenses to form dew. The dew point varies depending on how much water vapor the air contains, with humid air having a higher dew point than dry air. When large droplets of condensation form, they are deposited onto surfaces as dew. When smaller droplets form, they remain suspended in the air as mist or fog. If the dew point is below the freezing temperature of water (0°C), the water vapor turns directly into frost by sublimation.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
FEEDBACK