trade wind

noun

: a wind blowing almost constantly in one direction

especially : a wind blowing almost continually toward the equator from the northeast in the belt between the northern horse latitudes and the doldrums and from the southeast in the belt between the southern horse latitudes and the doldrums

—usually plural

Examples of trade wind in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This weakening of the trade winds then allows the warm water to flow towards the west coast of South America instead. — Matthew Villafane, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026

That largely cancels the trade winds that usually push warm water toward Asia. — Sean MacAday, Sacbee.com, 27 Sep. 2026

The first sign that El Niño is developing is a weakening, or even reversal, of the tropical Pacific trade winds. — Steven Paton, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2026

Stronger trade winds help to move warm surface water away from the South American coast, which stimulates upwelling—that is, the movement of cold, dense, and nutrient-rich deep ocean water toward the surface. — John P. Rafferty, Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1615, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for trade wind

• underpinned
• chagrined
• downwind
• rescind
• upwind
• whirlwind
• woodwind
• finned
• ginned
• grinned
• pinned
• sinned

Kids Definition

trade wind

noun

: a wind blowing almost constantly toward the equator from an easterly direction