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• Northern Hemisphere
  Northern Hemisphere

  noun

  the half of the earth between the North Pole and the equator.
• northern hemisphere
  northern hemisphere

  noun

  that half of the globe lying north of the equator

Northern Hemisphere

American  

noun

1. the half of the earth between the North Pole and the equator.

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northern hemisphere British  

noun

1. that half of the globe lying north of the equator

2. astronomy that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator

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Northern Hemisphere Scientific  

/ nôr′thərn /

1. The half of the Earth north of the equator.

2. The half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator.

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Northern Hemisphere Cultural  

1. The northern half of the Earth's surface; the half north of the equator.

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Etymology

Origin of Northern Hemisphere

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Northern Hemisphere northern hemisphere

Antarctica became heavily glaciated around 34 million years ago, while large ice sheets in the Northern Hemisphere did not form until approximately the past five million years.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026

The Northern Hemisphere is entering harvest season, when farmers consume large quantities of diesel to run tractors and other machinery.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

Wildfire smoke, which is increasing in the Northern Hemisphere as the climate warms, attacks nearly every system in the body.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

It studies the yellow-bellied marmot, one of the 15 recognised species of marmot found in the Northern Hemisphere.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

It’s huge—actually eight posters that I taped together—and shows all the major stars, constellations, and sections of the Milky Way visible from the Northern Hemisphere.

From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon

The research was released during a blistering northern hemisphere summer when extreme heat broke numerous records and contributed to the deaths of tens of thousands of people.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

He coached the Wallabies -- the Australian men's rugby union team -- for four years from 1984, guiding them to a rare northern hemisphere "Grand Slam" over England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland.

From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026

But sitting two points off top spot in the northern hemisphere section of the Nations Championship, Borthwick's side are in a strong position to welcome Australia, Japan and New Zealand to Allianz Stadium in November.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

They point out that, while Australia and New Zealand’s geography justify a scaled ultra long-haul fleet, Qantas’s northern hemisphere peers don’t appear to have sufficient use cases to warrant the investment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026

Mammoths had flourished for millions of years over most of the northern hemisphere, but as Homo sapiens spread—first over Eurasia and then over North America—the mammoths retreated.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari