mesosphere

noun

me·​so·​sphere ˈme-zə-ˌsfir 

ˈmē-,

-sə-

: the part of the earth's atmosphere between the stratosphere and the thermosphere in which temperature decreases with altitude to the atmosphere's absolute minimum

mesospheric

ˌme-zə-ˈsfir-ik 

ˌmē-

-sə-

-ˈsfer-

adjective

Examples of mesosphere in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Creating disks truly capable of pulling their own weight in the mesosphere or beyond is a more formidable task—akin to a five- to 10-year project, Schafer says. —Payal Dhar, Scientific American, 19 Aug. 2025

But there are definitely a lot of very large hurdles between the work and practical applications on Earth—much less on Mars, where the authors suggest the system could also be used to explore the mesosphere. —Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 14 Aug. 2025

And even in the mesosphere, where lift is optimal, these things do not generate much in the way of lift. —Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 14 Aug. 2025

After a lightning strike, red sprites may appear in Earth’s mesosphere, high above a thunderstorm. —Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

meso- + -sphere

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for mesosphere

• atmosphere
• biosphere
• centromere
• chemosphere
• chromosphere
• hemisphere
• hydrosphere
• lithosphere
• microsphere
• miserere
• mountaineer
• photosphere

Kids Definition

mesosphere

noun

me·​so·​sphere ˈmez-ə-ˌsfi(ə)r 

ˈmēz-,

ˈmēs-,

ˈmes-

: a layer of the atmosphere extending from the top of the stratosphere to an altitude of about 50 miles (80 kilometers)