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In days gone by, much of the male population of the northern states in the cold months would wear a garment of thermal underwear covering the entire body, called a union suit. Union suits kept sodbusters, cowboys, and townsfolk alike not only warm but also itchy and a little on the smelly side (back when bathing once a week was considered the height of cleanliness). Thermal imaging is photography that captures "heat pictures"--rather than ordinary light pictures--of objects. And thermal pollution occurs when industrial water use ends up warming a river in a damaging way. Small-plane pilots use thermal as a noun for a warm updraft, often over a plowed field or desert, that lifts their wings, just as it enables hawks to soar upward without moving their wings.
Examples of thermal in a Sentence
Tom Soufi Burridge, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2024
Last month’s strikes, which simultaneously hit numerous energy infrastructure sites across Ukraine, obliterated 80 percent of capacity at DTEK’s thermal power plants.
—Serhii Korolchuk, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
Ultraviolet radiation can damage the eyes's cells, while heat from infrared radiation can cause thermal damage, according to the National Eye Institute.
—S. Dev, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2024
According to a preliminary report released on Jan. 25, thermal damage was shown near the mouth of the envelope.
—Coleby Phillips, The Arizona Republic, 4 Apr. 2024
The envelope remained attached to the basket and showed thermal damage near the mouth of the envelope.
—Nicole Acosta, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
For your journey here, you'll be richly rewarded with incredible beaches and natural wonders (a petrified forest on Lesvos, volcanic rocks and sand dunes on Limnos, and thermal springs on Ikaria).
—Eleni N. Gage, Travel + Leisure, 1 Apr. 2024
These include the display module, removable SSD, battery, motherboard (main processor and memory), thermal module, speakers, cameras, and more.
—Matthew Buzzi, PCMAG, 21 Mar. 2024
As the Attorney’s office noted, the ground in the thermal areas is fragile, while the water below is boiling hot, putting those who trespass in danger while also potentially compromising the preservation efforts of the thermal areas.
—Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2024
Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 8 Apr. 2024
What’s the difference between solar electric and solar thermal?
—IEEE Spectrum, 21 Feb. 2024
The music, too, is idiosyncratic: For 60 minutes, plainsong, gospel, electronica, soul and the New Orleans funk of Christian’s upbringing layer into each other like atmospheric thermals.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2024
Military officials searched the river with lights, thermals and night-vision goggles but did not see any other migrants trying to cross or in distress, the statement said.
—Alexandra E. Petri, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2024
Though thermals, thick sweaters and puffy coats make sense on icy streets, enter a packed subway, stuffy restaurant or inferno-like office and cue the perspiration.
—Ashley Ogawa Clarke, WSJ, 14 Dec. 2023
Linus Tech Tips' teardown goes a bit deeper into the thermals and noise suppression of the new model.
—Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 7 Nov. 2023
And boy, does that legacy continue with these thermals.
—Todd Plummer, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 2023
Don’t make the mistake of thinking the thermals of today are the saggy, yellowing styles of yesteryear.
—Todd Plummer, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thermal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Thermal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thermal. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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More from Merriam-Webster on thermal
Nglish: Translation of thermal for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of thermal for Arabic Speakers
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