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definitions

global warming

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noun

an increase in the earth's average atmospheric temperature that causes corresponding changes in climate and that may result from the greenhouse effect.

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Origin of global warming

First recorded in 1975–80
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for global warming

British Dictionary definitions for global warming

global warming

noun

an increase in the average temperature worldwide believed to be caused by the greenhouse effect
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
Word Origin and History for global warming
n.

by 1983 as the name for a condition of overall rising temperatures and attendant consequences as a result of human activity. Originally theoretical, popularized as a reality from 1989.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Science definitions for global warming

global warming

An increase in the average temperature of the Earth's atmosphere, especially a sustained increase great enough to cause changes in the global climate. The Earth has experienced numerous episodes of global warming through its history, and currently appears to be undergoing such warming. The present warming is generally attributed to an increase in the greenhouse effect , brought about by increased levels of greenhouse gases, largely due to the effects of human industry and agriculture. Expected long-term effects of current global warming are rising sea levels, flooding, melting of polar ice caps and glaciers, fluctuations in temperature and precipitation, more frequent and stronger El Niños and La Niñas, drought, heat waves, and forest fires. See more at greenhouse effect.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Culture definitions for global warming

global warming

The term attached to the notion that the Earth's temperature is increasing due to the greenhouse effect.

Note

Whether global warming is actually happening is a subject of scientific debate.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.