climes

noun

plural of clime
as in environments
the circumstances, conditions, or objects by which one is surrounded a nonconformist who left his jerkwater hometown for the more welcoming clime of the big city

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of climes The southernmost Scandinavian country might not seem like an obvious place to spend the warmer months—its mercurial weather is a far cry from the reliably balmy climes of Marseille or Sorrento. — Stephanie Gavan, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 July 2026 While European companies—especially those located in the cooler climes of northern Europe—may not be historically attuned to the threat of heat stress, many businesses in the region are now mobilizing to address the risks. — Oliver Balch, Fortune, 27 July 2026 Though like The-Witch-the-movie, this strange, jarring delight is concerned with the fate of older women in un-hospitable climes. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 2 July 2026 Like many arrivals from colder, cloudier climes, Hockney went all in on LA, buying a Ford Falcon and devouring John Rechy’s City of Night. — Mark Rozzo, Vanity Fair, 12 June 2026 Just under 300,000 years from the moment Homo sapiens appeared in Africa, the species had encircled Earth, mastering desolate deserts and frozen wastelands and all the temperate climes in between. — Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 4 June 2026 Other Floridians skip the season altogether and flee to cooler climes, choosing to drive north into the mountains for a cool-cation. — Kelsey Glennon, Southern Living, 3 June 2026 As temperatures drop and autumn gives way to the seemingly ceaseless snows of winter, some animals in northerly climes exchange their pelage or plumage of summer drab for the purest white. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026 Known for its cinematic landscapes, Scotland is another top draw for cooler summer climes. — Ramona Saviss, HollywoodReporter, 24 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for climes
  1. environments
  2. climates
  3. atmospheres
  4. surrounds
Noun
  • The instructions did not forbid what happened, and the environments did not prevent it.
    — Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Reinforcement learning model reaches orbit The project followed a rapid development approach intended to move AI systems from research environments into operational testing quickly.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of environments
Noun
  • Monarch caterpillars eat only milkweed, which grows best in cooler climates, but the butterflies can’t tolerate freezing temperatures.
    — Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic, 28 July 2026
  • Field trials in Qinghai province and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region have already proven successful, demonstrating that bamboo barriers can endure brutal desert climates without brittle snapping or rotting early.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 27 July 2026
Definition of climates
Noun
  • These atmospheres may have formed due to the planets developing far from their host star in cold regions of the protoplanetary disc.
    — Chris Young July 30, Refractor, 30 July 2026
  • These blisteringly hot gas structures will eventually become the atmospheres that envelope modern clusters of galaxies, known as the intracluster medium (ICM).
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of atmospheres
Noun
  • One skyscraper amidst a sea of them, the Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero blends in with its surrounds.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 July 2026
  • The debut Elora neatly brings together a white RV box and a white chassis, offsetting all that brightness with numerous windows enclosed by black surrounds matching the Promaster front bumper.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 3 July 2026
Definition of surrounds

Browse Nearby Words

clime
climes
clinch
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Climes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/climes. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on climes

Nglish: Translation of climes for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of torpor

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All