meteorologist

American  

[mee-tee-uh-rol-uh-jist] / ˌmi ti əˈrɒl ə dʒɪst /

noun

• meteorologists
  plural

1. a scientist who studies the atmosphere and its phenomena, including weather and climate.

   I was the meteorologist for a radio news station in Ottawa, preparing the daily weather forecasts five days a week.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• meteorologists
  plural

Etymology

Origin of meteorologist

First recorded in 1630–40; meteorolog(y) ( def. ) + -ist ( def. )

Explanation

The expert TV reporter who presents the nightly weather forecast is a meteorologist. If you want to know if it's going to rain on your picnic this weekend, ask a meteorologist! Meteorologists get their name from the Greek meteōrologia, "discussion or study of high things." The "high thing" meteorologists study and report on is the planet's atmosphere — and the way it affects the weather. While people have tried to predict the weather for centuries, it's only recently that science has caught up with this goal, and meteorologists usually get it right.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

meteorologist meteorologists

But Theodore Giannaros, a wildfire meteorologist and senior researcher at the National Observatory, said the fires around Porto Germeno appear to have affected an area of over 10,000 hectares -- almost double the original estimate.

From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026

Theodore Giannaros, a wildfire meteorologist and senior researcher at the National Observatory of Athens, on Saturday said the damage to the Porto Germeno area was "inconceivable".

From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026

The majority of Southern California, except for the immediate coastline, will see an enhanced risk of large wildfires Friday through Sunday, when conditions will be hottest and driest, said Kristen Stewart, meteorologist with the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

"The warm and exceptionally dry conditions experienced across much of England over recent months are continuing to have a significant impact," said Will Lang, chief meteorologist at the Met Office.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

On the afternoon of April 12, 1934, Salvatore Pagliuca, a meteorologist at the summit weather observatory on Mount Washington, had an experience no one else has had before or since.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

Conditions are set to worsen as a fresh heatwave hits western Europe this week -- with oven-like temperatures returning in France from Tuesday and Spain from Wednesday, according to meteorologists.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

Tropical Storm Elida has been a factor in the rise in relative humidity in the Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay areas, weather service meteorologists said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

Both sugar and Indonesian palm oil are among the commodities threatened by what meteorologists expect to be an especially strong El Nino, which could bring drought and disrupt rainfall patterns across key farming regions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026

Czech meteorologists believe a 2012 record temperature of 40.4C could be broken on Saturday, while Austrian forecasters believe the national record will fall on Sunday.

From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026

The meteorologists are still delivering bad news like a party invitation.

From "Shouting at the Rain" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

Related Words

• prognosticator
• seer
• witch