jet stream

noun

: a long narrow meandering current of high-speed winds near the tropopause blowing from a generally westerly direction and often exceeding a speed of 250 miles (402 kilometers) per hour

Examples of jet stream in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That’s because El Niño typically sends the jet stream — the cross-country river of air that storms flow through — south of its normal position and into the southern tier of the US. — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026

Instead, climate models look at the global atmospheric pattern, from sea surface temperatures to the jet stream, and simulate what is likely to happen weeks or months out from the present. — Sean MacAday, Sacbee.com, 18 Aug. 2026

As the cold front and some stronger jet stream energy aloft move, showers & storms are expected during the afternoon and evening hours. — Trey Fulbright, CBS News, 16 Aug. 2026

The strength of the polar vortex is vulnerable to the large ridges and troughs that form in lower levels of the atmosphere and influence how the jet stream moves. — Doyle Rice, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1947, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for jet stream

• abeam
• airstream
• bloodstream
• daydream
• downstream
• esteem
• extreme
• grapheme
• hakim
• hornbeam
• lexeme
• mainstream

Kids Definition

jet stream

noun

: a long narrow wandering current of high-speed winds blowing from a generally westerly direction several miles above the earth's surface