therm

1 of 3

noun

ˈthərm 

: a unit for quantity of heat that equals 100,000 British thermal units

therm-

2 of 3

combining form

variants or thermo-

1

: heat

thermostat

2

: thermoelectric

thermopile

-therm

3 of 3

noun combining form

: animal having a (specified) body temperature

ectotherm

Examples of therm in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

If someone’s usage was 10 therms of gas, the meter recorded 20 therms, according to the filing. —Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026

Piedmont reported the average residential customer actually used slightly less natural gas in January, about 104 therms, compared with 111 therms in January 2024. —Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 10 Mar. 2026

As for December 2025, the typical We Energies customer used 142 therms of energy, up from 125 therms in 2024. —Cailey Gleeson, jsonline.com, 23 Feb. 2026

Last month, his shop used 206 therms of natural gas, compared to about 150 last January NIPSCO said the average customer this winter is using 160 therms per month. —Charlie De Mar, CBS News, 13 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Greek thermē heat, from thermos hot; akin to Latin formus warm, Sanskrit gharma heat

Combining form

Greek, from thermē

Noun combining form

Greek thermē heat

First Known Use

Noun

1888, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for therm

• berm
• ferm
• firm
• germ
• herm
• sperm
• affirm
• bookworm
• confirm
• cutworm
• earthworm
• infirm

Medical Definition

therm

noun

ˈthərm 

: any of several units of quantity of heat: as

a

: 1000 kilogram calories

b

: 100,000 British thermal units