water cycle

British  

noun

1. Also called: hydrologic cycle.  the circulation of the earth's water, in which water evaporates from the sea into the atmosphere, where it condenses and falls as rain or snow, returning to the sea by rivers or returning to the atmosphere by evapotranspiration

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water cycle Scientific  

1. See hydrologic cycle

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Example Sentences

“Because of climate change, it is impacting the way the water cycle is behaving.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2026

These problems are compounded by climate change, which is upending the water cycle and bringing more severe droughts and floods.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 21, 2026

I had a very clear sense that I wanted the water cycle to kind of circulate through it as it were, and a sense that we are part of that water cycle.

From Salon • May 28, 2025

This switch is driven by a warming world speeding up the water cycle and allowing the atmosphere to hold more water.

From BBC • May 27, 2025

To the thousands upon thousands of trained hydrologists, meteorologists and agronomists of the federal agencies of agriculture, interior and commerce fell the task of manipulating and guiding the delicate balance of the world's water cycle.

From The Thirst Quenchers by Raphael, Rick