First recorded in 1960–65
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And they would add crucial green space to reduce the heat island effect, she says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
Experts say cities like Delhi are especially vulnerable because of the "urban heat island effect", where concrete, traffic and limited green cover trap heat and keep cities hotter than surrounding areas.
From BBC ● May 28, 2026
Urban green spaces provide shade for city dwellers facing rising temperatures brought on by climate change, but how much relief from the heat island effect do they provide when humidity is factored in?
From Science Daily ● Nov. 14, 2024
These risks are exacerbated by the urban heat island effect — in which buildings and concrete absorb and give off more heat from the sun than trees and vegetation.
From Salon ● Sep. 3, 2024
“The lack of trees in turn exacerbates hot and dry conditions by spurring what’s commonly called the heat island effect.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2024
And artificial turf is disproportionately installed to replace private lawns and public landscaping in economically disadvantaged communities that already face the greatest consequences of the urban heat-island effect, in which hard surfaces raise local temperatures.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2024
But it does not begin to abate the larger heat-island effect created by the six-lane roadway it stands next to.
From Slate ● May 22, 2023
The main problem driving the so-called "heat-island effect" is tall buildings.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2021
The heat-island effect of urban areas boosts damage to trees — and root damage from construction can make them particularly vulnerable.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 11, 2021
In cities, concrete also adds to the heat-island effect by absorbing the warmth of the sun and trapping gases from car exhausts and air-conditioner units – though it is, at least, better than darker asphalt.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 25, 2019
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.
