room temperature

American  

[room tem-per-uh-cher, -choor, -pruh-, -per-cher, room] / ˈrum ˈtɛm pər ə tʃər, -ˌtʃʊər, -prə-, -pər tʃər, ˈrʊm /

noun

1. a temperature at which food, drink, medicine, etc., is neither cooled nor heated.

   Unopened, our sauces can be stored at room temperature for months, but opened jars must be refrigerated.

   The cheeses are best served at room temperature.

2. any indoor temperature that falls within a range considered comfortable for human occupancy.

   We tested the strength of the bond at room temperature and at 140°F.

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room temperature British  

noun

1. the normal temperature of a living room, usually taken as being around 20°C

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Etymology

Origin of room temperature

First recorded in 1845–50

Example Sentences

Xanadu’s machines will be able to function at room temperature, eliminating the need for the bulky refrigerators needed to cool the components of most computers to absolute zero.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

If you’re bringing something that needs to stay cold — a mayonnaise-based salad, a dairy-heavy dip, anything that shouldn’t spend hours at room temperature — think about how it will travel.

From Salon • Mar. 15, 2026

It operates at room temperature, requires no external power source, and can be integrated directly into on-chip systems.

From Science Daily • Mar. 4, 2026

Ionic conductivity measures how easily lithium ions move through a material, and values above 1 mS/cm are generally considered adequate for practical battery applications at room temperature.

From Science Daily • Jan. 9, 2026

While the device slightly lowered the room temperature, the machine was too noisy and the air too humid.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow