northern hemisphere
noun
variants
or Northern Hemisphere
: the half of the earth that lies north of the equator
Examples of northern hemisphere in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Our solar system neighbors line up particularly well around 8 p.m. ET before sinking beneath the horizon closer to midnight.
Dec. 21: Winter Solstice
Dec. 21 marks the first day of winter for those in the northern hemisphere.
—
Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 1 Dec. 2023
In the last solar cycle, for example, the polarity of the sun’s northern hemisphere started to reverse in early June 2012 and then wavered around the neutral point until late 2014, even though the southern hemisphere transitioned smoothly to the opposite polarity in mid-2013.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2023
The southern hemisphere, which has seasons opposite ours, didn’t see big surges in COVID during their winter, Osterholm says, which bodes well for winter in the northern hemisphere.
—Erin Prater, Fortune Well, 11 Aug. 2023
The most dramatic takeaway from the video is the outsized role the northern hemisphere plays in the global spread of greenhouse gasses, compared to the far less blameworthy south.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 29 June 2023
In fact, there was virtually no flu season in the northern hemisphere.
—Katie Liu, Discover Magazine, 16 Nov. 2023
The Orion Nebula is a region of star formation 1,350 light-years from Earth, located in the belt of the northern hemisphere constellation of Orion.
—Jonathan O’Callaghan, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2023
Tight global market The closure of Tamar comes just as countries in the northern hemisphere head toward winter, when demand for natural gas to heat homes increases.
—Anna Cooban, CNN, 10 Oct. 2023
The number of foreign travelers arriving in Mexico during August, high-season for summer holidays in the northern hemisphere, dropped 1.5% compared to the previous year, the first annual contraction since March 2021, the national statistics institute INEGI said Tuesday.
—Bymaya Averbuch, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2023
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Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 1 Dec. 2023
In the last solar cycle, for example, the polarity of the sun’s northern hemisphere started to reverse in early June 2012 and then wavered around the neutral point until late 2014, even though the southern hemisphere transitioned smoothly to the opposite polarity in mid-2013.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2023
The southern hemisphere, which has seasons opposite ours, didn’t see big surges in COVID during their winter, Osterholm says, which bodes well for winter in the northern hemisphere.
—Erin Prater, Fortune Well, 11 Aug. 2023
The most dramatic takeaway from the video is the outsized role the northern hemisphere plays in the global spread of greenhouse gasses, compared to the far less blameworthy south.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 29 June 2023
In fact, there was virtually no flu season in the northern hemisphere.
—Katie Liu, Discover Magazine, 16 Nov. 2023
The Orion Nebula is a region of star formation 1,350 light-years from Earth, located in the belt of the northern hemisphere constellation of Orion.
—Jonathan O’Callaghan, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2023
Tight global market The closure of Tamar comes just as countries in the northern hemisphere head toward winter, when demand for natural gas to heat homes increases.
—Anna Cooban, CNN, 10 Oct. 2023
The number of foreign travelers arriving in Mexico during August, high-season for summer holidays in the northern hemisphere, dropped 1.5% compared to the previous year, the first annual contraction since March 2021, the national statistics institute INEGI said Tuesday.
—Bymaya Averbuch, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'northern hemisphere.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1646, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of northern hemisphere was
in 1646
Dictionary Entries Near northern hemisphere
Cite this Entry
“Northern hemisphere.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/northern%20hemisphere. Accessed 8 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
northern hemisphere
nounoften capitalized N&H
: the half of the earth that lies north of the equator
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