emission

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noun emis·sion \ ē-ˈmi-shən \

Definition of emission

1 a :an act or instance of emitting :emanation

b archaic :publication

c :a putting into circulation

2 a :something sent forth by emitting: such as

(1) :electromagnetic radiation from an antenna or a celestial body

(2) usually emissions :substances discharged into the air (as by a smokestack or an automobile engine)

b :effluvium

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emissive

play \ē-ˈmi-siv\ adjective

See emission defined for English-language learners

See emission defined for kids

Examples of emission in a Sentence

trying to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases

Recent Examples of emission from the Web

Soon after, however, the trucks' exhaust gas recirculation emission systems started breaking down, and efforts to fix the problems have been unsuccessful, the suit alleges.

— becky yerak, chicagotribune.com, "After $31M ruling in Tennessee, Illinois companies sue Navistar over engine," 30 Aug. 2017
The role of greenhouse gas emissions is another story.

— julia rosen, Science | AAAS, "Human influence may prolong ocean cycle that gave birth to Harvey," 29 Aug. 2017
Those catalysts were the hearts of 400 million catalytic converters installed in cars and trucks since the U.S. government mandated lower exhaust emissions in 1975.

— william thornton, AL.com, "On National Banana Split Day, Blue Bell has new flavor," 25 Aug. 2017
But technicians were not warned of the dangers of handling them or told that grinding them down could actually increase their radiation emissions, according to the BEA report.

— patrick malone and peter cary, idahostatesman, "Unheeded warnings, repeated mistakes put lives at risk at Idaho nuclear lab," 10 Aug. 2017
The agencies would also have to set targets to reduce emissions.

— bruce henderson, charlotteobserver, "Charlotte clean-air group part of federal lawsuit over highway emissions," 31 July 2017
An ozone alert from the Mid-America Regional Council indicates an unhealthy level of ground-level ozone, the primary cause of which is vehicle emissions.

— matt campbell, kansascity, "Ozone alert issued for Tuesday; people urged to carpool or ride the bus," 24 July 2017
That exemption has remained in place ever since, even as other Western countries have figured out how to destroy aging armaments without toxic emissions.

— krista stevens, Longreads, "Open Burning: A Banned Practice That’s Poisoning America," 21 July 2017
State environmental secretary Ben Grumbles notified EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt of the potential legal action in a letter on Thursday, saying Maryland’s air quality suffers because of nitrogen oxide emissions from five other states.

— josh hicks, Washington Post, "Maryland regulators threaten EPA with air-quality lawsuit," 20 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'emission.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of emission

1607

Other Automotive Terms

articulated, block, choke, clutch, diesel, neutral, transmission

EMISSION Defined for English Language Learners

emission

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noun

Definition of emission for English Language Learners

: the act of producing or sending out something (such as energy or gas) from a source
: something sent out or given off

EMISSION Defined for Kids

emission

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noun emis·sion \ ē-ˈmi-shən \

Definition of emission for Students

1 :the act of giving off

The energy plant is reducing the emission of harmful gases.

2 :something that is given off Scientists can record radio emissions from far-off stars.

Medical Dictionary

emission

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noun emis·sion \ ē-ˈmish-ən \

medical Definition of emission

1 :an act or instance of emitting

2 a :something sent forth by emitting: as

(1) :electrons discharged from a surface

(2) :electromagnetic waves radiated by an antenna or a celestial body

(3) :substances and especially pollutants discharged into the air (as by a smokestack or an automobile gasoline engine)

b :a discharge of fluid from a living body; especially :ejaculate — see nocturnal emission

Learn More about emission

Spanish Central: Translation of emission Nglish: Translation of emission for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of emission for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about emission

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emission

Definition of emission

emissive

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Examples of emission in a Sentence

Recent Examples of emission from the Web

First Known Use of emission

Other Automotive Terms

EMISSION Defined for English Language Learners

emission

Definition of emission for English Language Learners

EMISSION Defined for Kids

emission

Definition of emission for Students

Medical Dictionary

emission

medical Definition of emission

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