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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The jet stream is fueled by temperature differences between the colder polar region to the north and warmer air masses to the south. Denise Chow, NBC news, 26 June 2025 Warmer air over the Pacific follows the jet stream from the northwest to the southeast, dipping down into Texas and the Gulf of Mexico before turning northeast toward the Atlantic Ocean. Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 June 2025 Normally, the jet stream moves in a wave-like pattern. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 19 June 2025 Planetary waves flow across Earth all the time, but sometimes they get amplified, becoming stronger, and the jet stream gets wavier with bigger hills and valleys, Mr. Mann said. Seth Borenstein, Christian Science Monitor, 17 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for jet stream

Word History

First Known Use

1947, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of jet stream was in 1947

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Jet stream.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jet%20stream. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on jet stream

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