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Southern Hemisphere

American  

noun

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


southern hemisphere British  

noun

  1. that half of the earth lying south of the equator

  2. astronomy that half of the celestial sphere lying south 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

Southern Hemisphere Scientific  
  1. The half of the Earth south of the equator.

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


Southern Hemisphere Cultural  
  1. The southern half of the Earth's surface; the Earth's surface south of the equator.


Etymology

Origin of Southern 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:

Humpback whales in the Southern Hemisphere live in well-defined pods and usually follow the same migratory routes every year, travelling between feeding areas in cold water and breeding grounds in the tropics.

From Barron's May 20, 2026

A Rand report, Hezbollah’s Networks in Latin America, found that the militant group had a considerable network that was active in the Southern Hemisphere.

From Los Angeles Times Mar. 10, 2026

As Salon previously reported, when the flu season cooled down in the Northern Hemisphere last summer, it intensified in the Southern Hemisphere.

From Salon Jan. 8, 2026

“The arrival of ample wheat production in the Southern Hemisphere worries U.S. wheat in particular, which lacks competitiveness on the international scene,” says Argus in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal Dec. 16, 2025

It was day and the constellations of the Southern Hemisphere were shining overhead.

From "Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George

Many wearing sweaters and thick coats, a reminder of the southern hemisphere winter from where they were coming, walked off the plane into the scorching Nigerian sun.

From Barron's Jun. 11, 2026

Among them are the first dinosaur identified in the southern hemisphere, now known to be a stegosaur, along with sauropods, a coelurosaurian, and young iguanodontids.

From Science Daily Apr. 24, 2026

There is snow in parts of Australia, but since the country is in the southern hemisphere, the winters there are short and they come during what is summer in the northern climes.

From Los Angeles Times Dec. 18, 2025

Ten times the world's best teams have assembled for a World Cup final, and nine times the William Webb Ellis trophy has headed off in southern hemisphere hands.

From BBC Dec. 3, 2025

If you’re in the southern hemisphere, it’s the other way round.

From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd

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