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
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In the upper atmosphere, where the jet stream flows, a classic ridge-and-trough pattern is visible, with the trough extending deep into Texas.
—
Mary Wasson, Austin American Statesman, 31 Jan. 2026
During winter, the polar jet stream transports cold, Arctic air southward across the plains of Canada and the United States, then eastward toward the Atlantic Ocean where warm air from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic tries to move northward.
—ABC News, 28 Jan. 2026
When unstable, the polar vortex can cause the jet stream — a band of strong wind that generally travels from west to east and acts as a boundary between cold, polar air and warmer air farther south — to buckle, sending bitterly cold air from the Arctic southward into North America.
—Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 25 Jan. 2026
But the jet stream periodically gets weak and wavy.
—Rebecca Hersher, NPR, 23 Jan. 2026
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Mary Wasson, Austin American Statesman, 31 Jan. 2026
During winter, the polar jet stream transports cold, Arctic air southward across the plains of Canada and the United States, then eastward toward the Atlantic Ocean where warm air from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic tries to move northward.
—ABC News, 28 Jan. 2026
When unstable, the polar vortex can cause the jet stream — a band of strong wind that generally travels from west to east and acts as a boundary between cold, polar air and warmer air farther south — to buckle, sending bitterly cold air from the Arctic southward into North America.
—Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 25 Jan. 2026
But the jet stream periodically gets weak and wavy.
—Rebecca Hersher, NPR, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for jet stream
Cite this Entry
“Jet stream.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jet%20stream. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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