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

In addition to that mandate, CARB adopted the nation's most aggressive truck electrification plan in April 2023 and, shortly thereafter, regulations targeting freight train emissions. —Thomas Catenacci, Fox News, 14 Apr. 2024

Another is the state’s seemingly countless efforts — both legislation and administrative decrees, scattered among a plethora of agencies – to reach the holy grail of carbon emission neutrality with little or no evaluation of their cost-effectiveness. —Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2024

Peering back to the time period close to the Big Bang is not simply a matter of having a larger mirror – astronomers have already done it using other satellites that observe microwave emission from very soon after the Big Bang. —Discover Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024

These home-on-jam capabilities will autonomously target any jamming emission within range; this range, which is classified, depends on emission power at a rate that is believed to be 0.3 kilometers per watt. —IEEE Spectrum, 10 Apr. 2024

For example, the Brussels Court of Appeal ruled last year that Belgium must cut its emissions by 55 percent from 1990 levels by 2030. —Chris Baraniuk, WIRED, 9 Apr. 2024

Until efforts to seriously reduce the emissions take hold, measures are being tested to offset the damaged caused by greenhouse gases. —Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2024

For instance, the budget proposed by the General Assembly would put Virginia back into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), an interstate compact for trading carbon emissions credits. —Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024

The aviation industry is tackling a carbon emissions problem with new planes, new fuels and new concepts. —Bronwen Latimer, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1607, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing emission

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

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