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

Traditional heavy industry is among the largest emitters of carbon dioxide. —Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025

Manabe and colleagues found that the Southern Ocean warmed very slowly when atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations increased because the surface waters were continually being replenished by these upwelling abyssal waters, which hadn’t yet warmed. —Nadir Jeevanjee, The Conversation, 3 Sep. 2025

Warmer air, driven by rising carbon dioxide emissions, may be disrupting the jet stream and increasing instability at cruising altitudes. —Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2025

The Fort Worth Fire Department said that nine cars derailed and two of them were leaking carbon dioxide. —Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for carbon dioxide

• acetamide
• acetonide
• acidified
• antimonide
• beatified
• benzaldehyde
• borohydride
• chalcogenide
• commodified
• decalcified
• declassified
• disaccharide

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