thermal energy
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of thermal energy
First recorded in 1850–55
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.
This approach allows scientists to estimate the thermal energy of the intracluster medium:the gas existing between the galaxies of a given cluster.
From Science Daily • Jan. 7, 2026
Earlier this month, Ukraine’s largest private energy company, DTEK, said its thermal energy plants suffered “significant damage”, resulting in blackouts.
From BBC • Nov. 28, 2024
While most microreactors can output up to 20 megawatts in order to reach that number, NANO’s models emphasize the micro — with output capped at about 5 megawatts of thermal energy for conversion to electric.
From Salon • Jun. 2, 2024
The scientists also considered radiative forcing, a measure of the balance of energy from sunlight that hits Earth, compared with thermal energy the planet loses.
From Scientific American • Sep. 13, 2023
But Dad’s main interest was energy: thermal energy, nuclear energy, solar energy, electrical energy, and energy from the wind.
From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls
![]()
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.