troposphere

noun

tro·​po·​sphere ˈtrō-pə-ˌsfir  ˈträ- 

: the lowest densest part of the earth's atmosphere in which most weather changes occur and temperature generally decreases rapidly with altitude and which extends from the earth's surface to the bottom of the stratosphere at about 7 miles (11 kilometers) high

tropospheric

ˌtrō-pə-ˈsfir-ik 

ˌträ-

-ˈsfer-

adjective

Examples of troposphere in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That methane then hovers in Earth's troposphere — about five to nine miles (eight to 15 kilometers) in altitude — like a warm coat around the planet. —Josh Dinner, Space.com, 2 July 2025

Most weather occurs in the lowest level, the troposphere. —Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 16 June 2025

While most clouds form in the troposphere between Earth’s surface and about 11 miles above the ground, these appear in the mesosphere, up to 50 miles high. —Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 May 2025

That hotspot in the upper troposphere is an area of amplified warming resulting partly from water vapor feedbacks, as moist, hot air steams off the tropical oceans. —ArsTechnica, 7 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French troposphère, from tropo- tropo- (in sense "change," as the troposphere is where weather changes take place) + -sphère -sphere

Note: The term was introduced, along with stratosphère stratosphere, by the French meteorologist Léon Tesserenc de Bort (1855-1913). Tesserenc de Bort apparently first used them in a paper read to a German meteorological society in Hamburg on September 30, 1908 ("La division de l'atmosphère en troposphère et stratosphère d'après les résultats de l'exploration de la haute atmosphère"). The paper was not subsequently published but is briefly summarized by C. Kassner in "Bericht über die elfte allgemeine Versammlung und Feier des 25-jährigen Bestehens der Deutschen Meteorologischen Gesellschaft zu Hamburg am 28. bis 30. September 1908," Meteorologische Zeitschrift, Band 26, Heft 1 (Januar, 1909), p. 6.

First Known Use

1908, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for troposphere

• atmosphere
• biosphere
• centromere
• chemosphere
• chromosphere
• hemisphere
• hydrosphere
• lithosphere
• mesosphere
• microsphere
• miserere
• mountaineer

Kids Definition

troposphere

noun

tro·​po·​sphere ˈtrōp-ə-ˌsfi(ə)r  ˈträp- 

: the portion of the atmosphere which extends from the earth's surface to the bottom of the stratosphere and in which temperature generally decreases rapidly with altitude

tropospheric

ˌtrōp-ə-ˈsfi(ə)r-ik 

ˌträp-

-ˈsfer-

adjective