climate change

noun

: significant and long-lasting change in the Earth's climate and weather patterns
The half-tonne … turtles were thought to have died out 30,000 to 40,000 years ago because of climate change.New Scientist
especially, in current use : such change associated with global warming
Concerns about greenhouse gas emissions and global climate change are renewed among scientists and the public with every new report about the possibility of melting icecaps and rising temperatures. Randy Showstack
Drought is a paleontological fact in the American West, but the latest desiccations have a new signature, and my region's climatologists, hydrologists, foresters, and water managers are nearly unanimous in their conviction that what we are seeing now is climate change, the anthropogenic kind, a consequence of too much CO2 and other greenhouse gases. Kenneth Brower

Examples of climate change in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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This helps improve air quality and prevent further climate change. Rowan Briggs, Mercury News, 10 July 2025 That's because many projects don't take climate change into account. Lauren Sommer, NPR, 10 July 2025 Ten years after the Paris Agreement, nations are still falling short of their commitments to reduce emissions and mitigate climate change. Bluesky Social, 9 July 2025 Their primary threats are habitat loss, over-fishing, and climate change. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 9 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for climate change

Word History

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of climate change was in 1854

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Cite this Entry

“Climate change.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/climate%20change. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

climate change

noun
: significant and long-lasting change in the earth's climate and weather patterns
especially : such change associated with global warming
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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