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

Storms are usually weaker in summer than winter because the jet stream doesn’t add as much punch to intensify them. — Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 27 July 2026

The pattern gets its name because the jet stream bends into a shape that resembles the Greek letter Ω (omega) on weather maps. — Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 27 July 2026

Come October and November, tropical cyclones are more inclined to be pulled north by a more wobbly jet stream, instead of west and out to sea like Hurricane Genevieve right now. — Sean MacAday, Sacbee.com, 27 July 2026

El Niños roll in periodically and last nine to 12 months as Pacific trade winds weaken and push warm water back toward the West Coast, coaxing the jet stream lower. — Evan Clark, Footwear News, 13 July 2026

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