jet stream

noun

: a long narrow meandering current of high-speed winds near the tropopause blowing from a generally westerly direction and often exceeding a speed of 250 miles (402 kilometers) per hour

Examples of jet stream in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

How much cold actually reaches the Midwest or other parts of the country depends on other atmospheric patterns, like the jet stream and storm systems. —Brandi D. Addison, jsonline.com, 8 Sep. 2025

At Saturn’s north pole, a colossal jet stream naturally organizes into a six-sided polygon, big enough to fit two Earths across. —Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025

AccuWeather anticipates the jet stream will lift northward once again by next weekend, causing an area of high pressure to stretch across Eastern states. —Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025

It is caused by atmospheric pressure, jet streams, cold or warm weather fronts, and thunderstorms. —Colson Thayer, People.com, 29 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1947, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for jet stream

• abeam
• airstream
• bloodstream
• daydream
• downstream
• esteem
• extreme
• grapheme
• hakim
• hornbeam
• lexeme
• mainstream

Kids Definition

jet stream

noun

: a long narrow wandering current of high-speed winds blowing from a generally westerly direction several miles above the earth's surface