mesosphere

noun

me·​so·​sphere ˈme-zə-ˌsfir 

ˈmē-, 

-sə-

: the part of the earth's atmosphere between the stratosphere and the thermosphere in which temperature decreases with altitude to the atmosphere's absolute minimum

mesospheric

ˌme-zə-ˈsfir-ik 

ˌmē-, 

-sə-, 

-ˈsfer-

adjective

Examples of mesosphere in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The clouds tend to form near polar regions, where the mesosphere is at its coldest, according to the Royal Meteorological Society. —Anthony Wood, Space.com, 5 June 2026

Just don’t stick the ceiling in the mesosphere. —Troy Renck, Denver Post, 18 May 2026

Schafer envisions a future in which swarms of these structures are used for atmospheric sensing and telecommunications not only in Earth’s mesosphere but also in the tenuous atmosphere of Mars, which exhibits similarly low pressures. —Payal Dhar, Scientific American, 19 Aug. 2025

Finally, the researchers calculate that the lift is at its maximum in the mesosphere, the area just above the stratosphere (50–100 kilometers above Earth's surface). —Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 14 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

meso- + -sphere

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for mesosphere

• atmosphere
• biosphere
• centromere
• chemosphere
• chromosphere
• hemisphere
• hydrosphere
• lithosphere
• microsphere
• miserere
• mountaineer
• photosphere

Kids Definition

mesosphere

noun

me·​so·​sphere ˈmez-ə-ˌsfi(ə)r 

ˈmēz-, 

ˈmēs-, 

ˈmes-

: a layer of the atmosphere extending from the top of the stratosphere to an altitude of about 50 miles (80 kilometers)