global warming

noun

: an increase in the earth's atmospheric and oceanic temperatures widely predicted to occur due to an increase in the greenhouse effect resulting especially from pollution

A Russian-owned tanker, built to traverse the frozen waters of the Arctic, completed a journey in record time from Europe to Asia this month, auguring the future of shipping as global warming melts sea ice.

—Russell Goldman

Debates about stem cells, global warming, and alternative energy might be less contentious if the scientific issues behind them were better understood.

—Elizabeth Gettelman

The development is also meant to boost tourism in Zermatt, which, like many Alpine towns worried about the effects of global warming on winter tourism, is exploring ways to draw visitors throughout the year.

—Jim Rendon

… I think it makes a compelling case, at least for most audiences, that humans are the cause of most of the global warming that is taking place, and that unless we take quick action the consequences for our planetary home could become irreversible.

—Al Gore

Examples of global warming in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The calculation implies only a 50/50 chance of limiting global warming to about 1.5°C, based on a global carbon budget of 305 billion tons of CO₂, as well as 5.5 billion tons of CO₂ in remaining residual emissions by 2050 that can be offset by carbon capture and storage. —Catarina Rolfsdotter-Jansson, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025

The lawsuits seek money to help communities cope with risks and damages from global warming. —Michael Copley, NPR, 19 Aug. 2025

As wild theories spread faster than facts, global warming worsens and regions like the Southwest struggle with prolonged drought, scientists believe understanding cloud seeding and clouds’ interactions with the planet has never been more important. —Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 17 Aug. 2025

The loss of trees and vegetation reduces the country's ability to sequester carbon dioxide, a key driver of global warming, and disrupts the delicate balance of local ecosystems. —Amira El-Fekki‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1953, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for global warming

• nonconforming
• nonperforming
• brainstorming
• conforming
• deforming
• heartwarming
• informing
• performing
• reforming
• rewarming
• transforming
• forming

Kids Definition

global warming

noun

: a warming of the earth's atmosphere and oceans that is widely predicted to result from an increase in the greenhouse effect caused by air pollution