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Northern Hemisphere

American  

noun

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


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

"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

Northern Hemisphere Scientific  
/ nôrthərn /
  1. The half of the Earth north of the equator.

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


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


Etymology

Origin of Northern Hemisphere

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

“As summers get longer and hotter, as climate changes in the Northern Hemisphere, we’re seeing fires in places they weren’t before,” Sweeney said.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 30, 2026

It could also strengthen winds high in the atmosphere that guide storms across the Northern Hemisphere.

From Science Daily Jul. 28, 2026

England's gutsy victory moves them up to third in the Northern Hemisphere standings in the 2026 Nations Championship, backing up last Saturday's 73-8 win over Fiji which ended a run of five defeats.

From BBC Jul. 19, 2026

“As a result, refinery margins stay elevated, delaying price relief for end users of diesel, jet fuel, and, not least, gasoline as the Northern Hemisphere driving season reaches its peak.”

From MarketWatch Jun. 26, 2026

“Thanks,” Brian replies coolly, like he owns the air in the Northern Hemisphere.

From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson

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

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

"They tend to be in the northern hemisphere, particularly so, parts of Scandinavia."

From Barron's Jun. 16, 2026

However, for those in the northern hemisphere, it is generally recognised as the midsummer date with the longest amount of daylight and the shortest period of darkness.

From BBC Jun. 16, 2026

The shadow of the southern hemisphere is inside the circle and the shadow of the northern hemisphere is outside.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

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