geothermal
adjective
Did you know?
Geothermal comes partly from the Greek thermos, "hot". Most geothermal electricity is provided by power plants situated in areas where there is significant activity of the Earth's great tectonic plates—often the same areas where volcanoes are found. But hot water from deep underground may be used by cities far from volcanoes to heat buildings or sidewalks. And a newer source of geothermal energy relies on a less dramatic kind of heat: Individual homeowners can now install heat pumps that take advantage of the 50°-60° temperature of the soil near the surface to provide heating in cold weather (and air-conditioning in the warm months). These very small-scale geothermal systems may eventually supply more useful energy than the large power plants.
Examples of geothermal in a Sentence
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
The Department of the Interior said in a statement that Invenergy will use those funds to develop natural gas power plants in five Midwestern states and geothermal projects in the Western United States.
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Reuters,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
And one of the best places to watch is from the geothermal waters of the Blue Lagoon.
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Kristine Hansen,
Travel + Leisure,
18 June 2026
The property is within hiking distance of Hervadalir, one of the country’s largest geothermal areas.
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Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for geothermal
Cite this Entry
“Geothermal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/geothermal. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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geothermal
adjective
