anticyclone
noun
an·ti·cy·clone
ˌan-ti-ˈsī-ˌklōn 
1
: a system of winds that rotates about a center of high atmospheric pressure clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the southern, that usually advances at 20 to 30 miles (about 30 to 50 kilometers) per hour, and that usually has a diameter of 1500 to 2500 miles (2400 to 4000 kilometers)
2
Examples of anticyclone in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Like the heat risk in general, high pressure systems or anticyclones are often overlooked.
—
Marshall Shepherd, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
Zelia, which was moving at a slow speed of less than 3 mph, was forecast to be steered southward to landfall because of a weakened westward anticyclone Friday, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
—Mithil Aggarwal, NBC News, 13 Feb. 2025
Look for Jupiter’s cloud bands and its stunning Red Spot, an anticyclone that is over 10,000 miles wide—1.3 times the width of Earth.
—Gretchen Rundorff, WIRED, 17 Jan. 2025
On December 5, as cold weather in London prompted residents to burn more cheap coal, a high-pressure wind system known as an anticyclone settled over the city, trapping cold air beneath warm air.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Dec. 2024
This turbulence culminates at its Great Red Spot, a powerful anticyclone where winds scream past at up to 425 miles per hour.
—Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Dec. 2024
The closest comparison on Earth to an anticyclone is an ocean eddy, a swirl of water cut off from the normal ocean current with currents that move fast around a center while the center moves slowly through the ocean.
—Sara Novak, Discover Magazine, 12 Nov. 2024
The Great Red Spot, or GRS, is an anticyclone, or a large circulation of winds in Jupiter’s atmosphere that rotates around a central area of high pressure along the planet’s southern midlatitude cloud belt.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 11 Oct. 2024
The second formation mechanism is that two or more anticyclones could have merged to form a bigger one.
—The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 25 June 2024
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Marshall Shepherd, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
Zelia, which was moving at a slow speed of less than 3 mph, was forecast to be steered southward to landfall because of a weakened westward anticyclone Friday, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
—Mithil Aggarwal, NBC News, 13 Feb. 2025
Look for Jupiter’s cloud bands and its stunning Red Spot, an anticyclone that is over 10,000 miles wide—1.3 times the width of Earth.
—Gretchen Rundorff, WIRED, 17 Jan. 2025
On December 5, as cold weather in London prompted residents to burn more cheap coal, a high-pressure wind system known as an anticyclone settled over the city, trapping cold air beneath warm air.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Dec. 2024
This turbulence culminates at its Great Red Spot, a powerful anticyclone where winds scream past at up to 425 miles per hour.
—Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Dec. 2024
The closest comparison on Earth to an anticyclone is an ocean eddy, a swirl of water cut off from the normal ocean current with currents that move fast around a center while the center moves slowly through the ocean.
—Sara Novak, Discover Magazine, 12 Nov. 2024
The Great Red Spot, or GRS, is an anticyclone, or a large circulation of winds in Jupiter’s atmosphere that rotates around a central area of high pressure along the planet’s southern midlatitude cloud belt.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 11 Oct. 2024
The second formation mechanism is that two or more anticyclones could have merged to form a bigger one.
—The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 25 June 2024
Cite this Entry
“Anticyclone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anticyclone. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
anticyclone
noun
an·ti·cy·clone
ˌant-i-ˈsī-ˌklōn
: a system of winds that rotates about a center of high atmospheric pressure clockwise in the northern hemisphere, that usually advances at 20 to 30 miles (about 30 to 50 kilometers) per hour, and that usually has a diameter of 1500 to 2500 miles (about 2400 to 4000 kilometers)
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