emission

noun

emis·​sion ē-ˈmi-shən 

1

a

: an act or instance of emitting : emanation

b

archaic : publication

c

: a putting into circulation

2

a

: something sent forth by emitting: such as

(1)

: electromagnetic radiation from an antenna or a celestial body

(2)

usually emissions : substances discharged into the air (as by a smokestack or an automobile engine)

b

: effluvium

emissive

ē-ˈmi-siv 

adjective

Examples of emission in a Sentence

trying to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases

Recent Examples on the Web

Washington state’s cap-and-invest program, for example, has limited carbon emissions but also been blamed for higher prices. — Natasha Chen, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2026

Be wary of a company that promotes a small green program while staying quiet about its total emissions, or announces a goal with no baseline, timeline or annual progress to check it against. — Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026

Developers say the approach could significantly increase the economic value of coal while reducing emissions associated with conventional coal utilization. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 2 Aug. 2026

James Brennan, director of climate risk modelling at Climate X, said extreme heat days are set to double or even triple across central Europe by 2050 under a high-emission scenario used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 1 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1607, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing emission

• acoustic emission
• positron-emission tomography
• re-emission
• secondary emission

Rhymes for emission

• addition
• admission
• ambition
• attrition
• audition
• clinician
• cognition
• coition
• commission
• condition
• contrition
• dentition

Kids Definition

emission

noun

emis·​sion ē-ˈmish-ən 

1

: an act or instance of emitting

2

: something emitted or discharged

emissive

ē-ˈmis-iv 

adjective

Medical Definition

emission

noun

emis·​sion ē-ˈmish-ən 

1

: an act or instance of emitting

2

a

: something sent forth by emitting: as

(1)

: electrons discharged from a surface

(2)

: electromagnetic waves radiated by an antenna or a celestial body

(3)

: substances and especially pollutants discharged into the air (as by a smokestack or an automobile gasoline engine)

b

: a discharge of fluid from a living body

especially : ejaculate see nocturnal emission