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In days gone by, much of the male population of the northern states in the cold months would wear a garment of thermal underwear covering the entire body, called a union suit. Union suits kept sodbusters, cowboys, and townsfolk alike not only warm but also itchy and a little on the smelly side (back when bathing once a week was considered the height of cleanliness). Thermal imaging is photography that captures "heat pictures"--rather than ordinary light pictures--of objects. And thermal pollution occurs when industrial water use ends up warming a river in a damaging way. Small-plane pilots use thermal as a noun for a warm updraft, often over a plowed field or desert, that lifts their wings, just as it enables hawks to soar upward without moving their wings.
Examples of thermal in a Sentence
Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 22 Apr. 2024
Its landscape features geysers, volcanic lakes and thermal hot springs.
—Andrew Nelson, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
Scientists say the recovery from those events was driven by fast-growing Acropora corals, which are more vulnerable to thermal stress and coral bleaching.
—Rachel Pannett, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024
When night fell, Boyko switched on a thermal camera, and the black figures dying in the white snow became white figures on black.
—Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Footage of the rescue shows the helicopter crew first honing in on the victim using the aircraft’s thermal imaging camera.
—Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024
Video shows the view from the thermal imaging camera and then switches to the rescuer’s point of view.
—Brooke Baitinger, Sacramento Bee, 2 Apr. 2024
The man was seen on the helicopter’s thermal imaging camera clinging to the grave rock face of the cliff.
—Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 2 Apr. 2024
In the spate of recent attacks, Russia has damaged about a dozen Ukrainian thermal power plants and at least four hydropower plants, according to officials.
—Tom Soufi Burridge, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2024
Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 8 Apr. 2024
What’s the difference between solar electric and solar thermal?
—IEEE Spectrum, 21 Feb. 2024
The music, too, is idiosyncratic: For 60 minutes, plainsong, gospel, electronica, soul and the New Orleans funk of Christian’s upbringing layer into each other like atmospheric thermals.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2024
Military officials searched the river with lights, thermals and night-vision goggles but did not see any other migrants trying to cross or in distress, the statement said.
—Alexandra E. Petri, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2024
Though thermals, thick sweaters and puffy coats make sense on icy streets, enter a packed subway, stuffy restaurant or inferno-like office and cue the perspiration.
—Ashley Ogawa Clarke, WSJ, 14 Dec. 2023
Linus Tech Tips' teardown goes a bit deeper into the thermals and noise suppression of the new model.
—Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 7 Nov. 2023
And boy, does that legacy continue with these thermals.
—Todd Plummer, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 2023
Don’t make the mistake of thinking the thermals of today are the saggy, yellowing styles of yesteryear.
—Todd Plummer, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thermal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Thermal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thermal. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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