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

Officials said on Sunday that the failing pressurized Orange County tank — filled with a toxic chemical and at risk of exploding — had reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the maximum reading on the gauge.

From Los Angeles Times • May 25, 2026

MMA should be stored in an environment between 59 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit, according to companies that work with the chemical.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 24, 2026

Carpenter offers many advantages to investors seeking companies whose competitive barriers to entry are as resistant as its nickel-based alloy Pyromet 41 External link —which withstands temperatures as high as 1500 degrees Fahrenheit.

From Barron's • May 21, 2026

Average summer air temperatures have climbed by about 3 degrees Fahrenheit since 1919, including an increase of 0.8 degrees over the past decade.

From Science Daily • Apr. 25, 2026

I awoke early on May 11 to clear skies and the relatively warm temperature of twenty degrees Fahrenheit.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer