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water vapor
noun
: water in a vaporous form especially when below boiling temperature and diffused (as in the atmosphere)
Examples of water vapor in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And while El Niño is believed to have played some role in recent hot temperatures, there are other potential variables, including the 2022 eruption of the Hunga Tonga Volcano, which shot record-breaking amounts of heat-trapping water vapor into the atmosphere.
—Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024
Climate & Environment El Niño and climate change are supercharging incoming storm, SoCal’s biggest this winter
Feb. 2, 2024
The powerful storm is arriving through an atmospheric river, a long plume of water vapor that pours into California from the Pacific Ocean.
—Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2024
Atmospheric rivers pick up water vapor from the warm, moist air of tropical regions and then drop the water over land in cooler regions as rain or snow.
—USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2024
Use a humidifier Boosting moisture and/or water vapor in the air can also help.
—Twiggy Jalloh, Vogue, 30 Jan. 2024
Similar atmospheric rivers—or long bands of water vapor that can dump heavy rain—killed at least 20 people across the state in January 2023.
—James Farrell, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2024
And with the increase in global average temperatures now more than 2 degrees over preindustrial times, research has shown that the increase in water vapor is leading to more extreme downpours in many parts of the world.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2024
Atmospheric rivers are long and relatively narrow bands of water vapor that form over an ocean and flow through the sky, transporting much of the moisture from the tropics to northern latitudes.
—John Antczak, Christopher Weber, Julie Watson, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 Feb. 2024
Made visible by clouds, these ribbons of water vapor extend thousands of miles from the tropics to the western U.S.
—USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'water vapor.' 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
15th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of water vapor was
in the 15th century
Dictionary Entries Near water vapor
Cite this Entry
“Water vapor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/water%20vapor. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.
Kids Definition
water vapor
noun
: water in a gaseous form especially when below boiling temperature and spread through the atmosphere
Medical Definition
water vapor
noun
: water in a vaporous form especially when below boiling temperature and diffused (as in the atmosphere)
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