weather

1 of 3

noun

weath·​er ˈwe-t͟hər How to pronounce weather (audio)
1
: the state of the atmosphere with respect to heat or cold, wetness or dryness, calm or storm, clearness or cloudiness
2
: state or vicissitude of life or fortune
3
: disagreeable atmospheric conditions: such as
a
: rain, storm
b
: cold air with dampness
4

weather

2 of 3

verb

weathered; weathering
ˈwet͟h-riŋ,
ˈwe-t͟hə- How to pronounce weather (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to expose to the open air : subject to the action of the elements
2
: to bear up against and come safely through
weather a storm
weather a crisis

intransitive verb

: to undergo or endure the action of the elements

weather

3 of 3

adjective

: of or relating to the side facing the wind compare lee
Phrases
to weather
: in the direction from which the wind is blowing
under the weather

Examples of weather in a Sentence

Noun The weather today will be hot and dry. The hikers sought protection from the weather under an overhang. It looks like we're in for some weather tomorrow. We'll take a look at the weather right after this commercial break. Check the weather before you make plans. Verb The wood on the porch has weathered over the years. They weathered a terrible storm while at sea. He has weathered the criticism well.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The AccuWeather team analyzed multiple weather factors and historic data during the timing of the April 8 eclipse. Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 8 Mar. 2024 Detailed Cincinnati weather forecast Friday: There is a chance of showers before 2 p.m., then rain, mainly after 2 p.m. High near 62. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 8 Mar. 2024 The coffee giant debuted two new drinks in honor of warmer weather. Ana Calderone, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024 The Arizona Daily Sun reported the restaurant had many reasons for the long departure, including weather and reconsidering its remodeling plans. The Arizona Republic, 7 Mar. 2024 While widespread severe weather is not expected, a strong storm may be possible Thursday afternoon in the far southwest parts of the Kansas City forecast area, the weather service said. Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2024 The almanac added that the Pacific Northwest could see cloudy and cool weather at the beginning of the spring season. Hanh Truong, Sacramento Bee, 7 Mar. 2024 After a weekend of sunshine and clear blue skies, cold weather and rain are set to hit the Bay Area again later this week. Kate Talerico, The Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2024 Orange County and the Inland Empire will see partly cloudy skies and cooler weather with highs in the upper 60s to low 70s across the weekend. Mona Darwish, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024
Verb
And while last year’s six months of Hollywood strikes hobbled film and TV production and thinned out studios’ TV and movie schedules, Netflix appeared to weather the disruption better than many rivals. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2024 Over the past six seasons, Bassett’s Los Angeles Police Department field sergeant Athena Grant has weathered an absolutely staggering number of calamities including, but by no means limited to: a tsunami, a citywide blackout, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake, and, yes, a blimp crash. Patrick Gomez, EW.com, 6 Mar. 2024 But Smith has also weathered criticism that his office has been slow to respond to complaints and has produced fewer reports than previous inspectors general. Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024 Despite repeatedly acknowledging the economic challenges, Li laid out Beijing’s relatively modest plan to weather the slowdown without pumping enormous amounts of government money into the economy — and prioritize security over immediate growth. Christian Shepherd, Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2024 The group made up a huge entering class in its own right, but thanks to the Great Recession, older people with few job opportunities were also flooding into college classrooms to weather the downturn. Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2024 In its promise of providing crucial financial support to nations on the front lines of climate change, the Loss and Damage Fund provides hope for climate vulnerable nations to weather the challenges of today, while recovering from institutionalized inequities—and secure a flourishing tomorrow. Daphne Ewing-Chow, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Through the rip-roaring tidal waves of highs and lows, the girls have weathered every storm with grace. Jenna Wang, Peoplemag, 24 Feb. 2024 The shadow fleet has enabled Russia to create a parallel shipping structure that can weather the changing tactics and focus of Western sanctions, with hundreds of tankers of opaque ownership, using complex routes. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 19 Feb. 2024
Adjective
According to Stephen Clark, this was SpaceX's first non-weather, non-range terminal countdown abort since NROL-108 in December 2020. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 22 July 2022 And now people with a non-weather background reference it, too. Jennifer Sangalang, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2022 These breakfasts are particularly popular in Asia and the Pacific, especially at warm-weather private villa resorts in places like Thailand, Fiji and the Maldives. Lilit Marcus, CNN, 21 June 2021 Current laws allow non-weather water loss claims up to five years after the incident that caused the damage. Ron Hurtibise, sun-sentinel.com, 14 Nov. 2020 Sun Country’s business consists of commercial flights between the United States and warm-weather international vacation destinations, transporting cargo for Amazon, and charter flights. Washington Post, 21 Oct. 2020 That chapter has not stopped the media personality from sharing his non-weather opinions on social media. Neal Justin, Star Tribune, 12 Aug. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'weather.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English weder, from Old English; akin to Old High German wetar weather, Old Church Slavonic vetrŭ wind

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Adjective

1582, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of weather was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near weather

Cite this Entry

“Weather.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/weather. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

weather

1 of 3 noun
weath·​er ˈwet͟h-ər How to pronounce weather (audio)
1
: the state of the atmosphere in regard to heat or cold, wetness or dryness, calm or storm, clearness or cloudiness
2
: disagreeable atmospheric conditions
stormy weather

weather

2 of 3 verb
weathered; weathering ˈwet͟h-(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce weather (audio)
1
: to change by exposure to the weather
shingles weathered to a silvery gray
2
: to bear up against and come safely through
weather a storm

weather

3 of 3 adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on weather

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