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• heat island
  heat island

  noun

  an urban area having a higher average temperature than its rural surroundings owing to the greater absorption, retention, and generation of heat by its buildings, pavements, and human activities.
• heat-island
  heat-island

  noun

  meteorol the mass of air over a large city, characteristically having a slightly higher average temperature than that of the surrounding air

heat island

American  

[heet ahy-luhnd] / ˈhit ˌaɪ lənd /

noun

1. an urban area having a higher average temperature than its rural surroundings owing to the greater absorption, retention, and generation of heat by its buildings, pavements, and human activities.

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heat-island British  

noun

1. meteorol the mass of air over a large city, characteristically having a slightly higher average temperature than that of the surrounding air

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Etymology

Origin of heat island

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

heat island heat-island

And they would add crucial green space to reduce the heat island effect, she says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026

Dehydration and heat stroke can occur when temperatures rise, and urban heat island effects can also help to trap pollution leading to poor air quality.

From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2025

Ruese also suggested that local leaders improve urban infrastructure so that it reduces heat, and in particular the urban heat island effect.

From Salon ● Apr. 15, 2024

“The lack of trees in turn exacerbates hot and dry conditions by spurring what’s commonly called the heat island effect.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2024

"And in addition, you'll have this positive impact on the metropolitan-scale heat island effect."

From Science Daily ● Feb. 12, 2024

And artificial turf is disproportionately installed to replace private lawns and public landscaping in economically disadvantaged communities that already face the greatest consequences of the urban heat-island effect, in which hard surfaces raise local temperatures.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2024

“Here, like other hardworking immigrants, they performed tireless, invisible labor for the city, sequestering carbon, countering the heat-island effect, and reducing the pollution of storm-water runoff,” Kinney wrote.

From Slate ● Mar. 16, 2024

The main problem driving the so-called "heat-island effect" is tall buildings.

From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2021

The heat-island effect of urban areas boosts damage to trees — and root damage from construction can make them particularly vulnerable.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 11, 2021

In cities, concrete also adds to the heat-island effect by absorbing the warmth of the sun and trapping gases from car exhausts and air-conditioner units – though it is, at least, better than darker asphalt.

From The Guardian ● Feb. 25, 2019