northern hemisphere

noun

variants or Northern Hemisphere
: the half of the earth that lies north of the equator

Examples of northern hemisphere in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In the northern hemisphere, a stronger El Niño tends to produce a warmer winter. — Simmone Shah, Time, 29 June 2026 The beaches in the northern hemisphere are reviewed in April, and the southern hemisphere in September. — Rachel Chang, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 June 2026 From the northern hemisphere, the planets will be low on the eastern horizon in the early morning hours before astronomical dawn. — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 3 July 2026 So first the Grassmannian of lines in three-dimensional space in this slightly higher dimensional setting would look more or less like the northern hemisphere. — Quanta Magazine, 25 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for northern hemisphere

Word History

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of northern hemisphere was in 1646

Rhymes for northern hemisphere

See All Rhymes for northern hemisphere

Browse Nearby Words

northern hartebeest
northern hemisphere
Northern Ireland
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Northern hemisphere.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/northern%20hemisphere. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

northern hemisphere

noun
often capitalized N&H
: the half of the earth that lies north of the equator
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All