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.

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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

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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

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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.

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Fahrenheit ² Scientific  

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

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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.

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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.)

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Example Sentences

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

During the latest heat wave, 85-degree Fahrenheit temperatures at night didn’t allow buildings to cool down before the sun rose to bake them again.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 1, 2026

Highs have approached 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the U.K. this week, and topped that level in cities like Paris.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026

A single degree Celsius equals 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit.

From Science Daily • Jun. 12, 2026

Salt water freezes at a lower temperature than fresh water, around twenty-seven degrees Fahrenheit, depending on the concentration of salt and other minerals.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong