carbon dioxide

noun

: a heavy colorless gas CO2 that does not support combustion, dissolves in water to form carbonic acid, is formed especially in animal respiration and in the decay or combustion of animal and vegetable matter, is absorbed from the air by plants in photosynthesis, and is used in the carbonation of beverages

Examples of carbon dioxide 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.
Methane is around 80 times more effective at trapping heat than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 30 May 2026 The curve that does not argue Professor Ralph Keeling discusses the importance of measuring oxygen and carbon dioxide in air samples from Mauna Loa, Hawaii, and the South Pole for the Keeling Curve long-term monitoring study at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography on April 11, 2025. Ingmar Rentzhog, Forbes.com, 30 May 2026 The California Environmental Quality Act requires agencies to complete a report on the additional carbon dioxide emitted from more drivers on the road before imposing the return-to-office order, the union said. William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 28 May 2026 People rely on the Amazon for water and the hotter, drier conditions should increase wildfire risk, Seabrook said, threatening to turn the Amazon, which now sucks heat-trapping carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, into a region that worsens the problem. Seth Borenstein, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for carbon dioxide

Word History

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of carbon dioxide was in 1867

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Cite this Entry

“Carbon dioxide.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carbon%20dioxide. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.

Kids Definition

carbon dioxide

noun
: a heavy colorless gas CO2 that is formed especially by the burning and breaking down of organic substances (as in animal respiration), is absorbed from the air by plants in photosynthesis, and has many industrial uses

Medical Definition

carbon dioxide

noun
: a heavy colorless gas CO2 that does not support combustion, dissolves in water to form carbonic acid, is formed especially in animal respiration and in the decay or combustion of animal and vegetable matter, is absorbed from the air by plants in photosynthesis, and is used in the carbonation of beverages

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