climate change
noun
: significant and long-lasting change in the Earth's climate and weather patterns
The half-tonne … turtles were thought to have died out 30,000 to 40,000 years ago because of climate change.—
New Scientist
New Scientist
especially, in current use
: such change associated with global warming
Concerns about greenhouse gas emissions and global climate change are renewed among scientists and the public with every new report about the possibility of melting icecaps and rising temperatures. —Randy Showstack
Randy Showstack Drought is a paleontological fact in the American West, but the latest desiccations have a new signature, and my region's climatologists, hydrologists, foresters, and water managers are nearly unanimous in their conviction that what we are seeing now is climate change, the anthropogenic kind, a consequence of too much CO2 and other greenhouse gases. —Kenneth Brower
Kenneth Brower Examples of climate change in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Millions of people across more than 150 countries participated in the demonstrations, demanding urgent action to address climate change.
—Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 27 Sep. 2025
For instance, portable cold atom systems could provide navigation without GPS, detect underground structures, monitor climate change with unprecedented detail, and even enable space missions to test gravity and search for new particles.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 27 Sep. 2025
Hurricanes have become more severe over the years, as climate change make storms stronger and more frequent.
—Alana Wise, NPR, 27 Sep. 2025
They are designed to protect homes and businesses against the type of winter storms that have severely flooded the low-lying community of Alviso multiple times with water up to 6 feet deep and which are posing more risk as sea level rises due to climate change.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 26 Sep. 2025
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Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 27 Sep. 2025
For instance, portable cold atom systems could provide navigation without GPS, detect underground structures, monitor climate change with unprecedented detail, and even enable space missions to test gravity and search for new particles.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 27 Sep. 2025
Hurricanes have become more severe over the years, as climate change make storms stronger and more frequent.
—Alana Wise, NPR, 27 Sep. 2025
They are designed to protect homes and businesses against the type of winter storms that have severely flooded the low-lying community of Alviso multiple times with water up to 6 feet deep and which are posing more risk as sea level rises due to climate change.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for climate change
Cite this Entry
“Climate change.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/climate%20change. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.
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