global warming

noun

: an increase in the earth's atmospheric and oceanic temperatures widely predicted to occur due to an increase in the greenhouse effect resulting especially from pollution

A Russian-owned tanker, built to traverse the frozen waters of the Arctic, completed a journey in record time from Europe to Asia this month, auguring the future of shipping as global warming melts sea ice.

—Russell Goldman

Debates about stem cells, global warming, and alternative energy might be less contentious if the scientific issues behind them were better understood.

—Elizabeth Gettelman

The development is also meant to boost tourism in Zermatt, which, like many Alpine towns worried about the effects of global warming on winter tourism, is exploring ways to draw visitors throughout the year.

—Jim Rendon

… I think it makes a compelling case, at least for most audiences, that humans are the cause of most of the global warming that is taking place, and that unless we take quick action the consequences for our planetary home could become irreversible.

—Al Gore

Examples of global warming in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Hayes worries that the Internet’s political enthusiasms distract from global warming. —Daniel Immerwahr, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025

Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have tried to blame what has happened on forces beyond their control like global warming. —David Faris, Newsweek, 18 Jan. 2025

But who knows whether various methods that corporate giants are staking can get cheap enough to become a real weapon against global warming. —Ben Geman, Axios, 16 Jan. 2025

The hearing was briefly stopped several times by protesters with at least one shouting about the deadly fires in Los Angeles and the role fossil fuels play in global warming. —Timothy Gardner, USA TODAY, 16 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1953, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

global warming

noun

: a warming of the earth's atmosphere and oceans that is widely predicted to result from an increase in the greenhouse effect caused by air pollution