Synonyms

jet stream

American

noun

strong, generally westerly winds concentrated in a relatively narrow and shallow stream in the upper troposphere of the earth.
similar strong winds in the atmosphere of another planet.

jet streams on Jupiter.
the exhaust of a jet or rocket engine.

jet stream British

noun

meteorol a narrow belt of high-altitude winds (about 12 000 metres high) moving east at high speeds and having an important effect on frontogenesis
the jet of exhaust gases produced by a gas turbine, rocket motor, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

jet stream Scientific

A narrow current of strong wind circling the Earth from west to east at altitudes of about 11 to 13 km (7 to 8 mi) above sea level. There are usually four distinct jet streams, two each in the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Jet stream wind speeds average 56 km (34 mi) per hour in the summer and 120 km (74 mi) in the winter. They are caused by significant differences in the temperatures of adjacent air masses. These differences occur where cold, polar air meets warmer, equatorial air, especially in the latitudes of the westerlies.

jet stream Cultural

A narrow band of swiftly moving air found at very high altitudes.

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Movements of the jet stream have important (but generally short-lived) effects on weather patterns.

Travel time in an airplane can be lengthened or shortened by the jet stream, depending on the direction of flight and the strength of the stream.

Etymology

Origin of jet stream

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The jet stream sent areas of low pressure spinning in from the Atlantic, but their progress was blocked by an area of high pressure that became slow-moving across Scandinavia.

From BBC

Cold Arctic air, transported south over North America by the polar jet stream in the winter, meets warmer air over the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf.

From The Wall Street Journal

The jet stream, which has been positioned across the UK for the last few weeks will move further north at times, keeping the UK in warmer air.

From BBC

It reasons for this an "energised" jet stream, a fast-flowing current of air that travels around the planet, had seen low-pressure systems crossing the Atlantic towards the UK.

From BBC

At the same time surges of Arctic air in the USA and Canada helped to fire up a strong Atlantic jet stream that directed rain-bearing areas of low pressure towards western Europe.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023