temperate zone

noun

variants often Temperate Zone
: the area or region between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle or between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle

Examples of temperate zone 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.
These gas giants, some of them sit smack in the middle of this warm temperate zone. — Janna Levin, Quanta Magazine, 19 Dec. 2024 Though technically a perennial, red salvia (Salvia splendens) is grown as an annual plant in temperate zones. — Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 23 Apr. 2026 More temperate zones farther north get about 15 hours of sunlight on the summer solstice, and the sun doesn't set at all that day over the Arctic Circle. — Meredith G. White, The Arizona Republic, 17 Apr. 2024 Acid soil is found in the humid northern temperate zone, where evergreens grow, and in the humid tropics, which is covered by savannah and tropical rainforests. — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for temperate zone

Word History

First Known Use

1551, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of temperate zone was in 1551

Rhymes for temperate zone

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Browse Nearby Words

temperate rainforest
temperate zone
temperature
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Cite this Entry

“Temperate zone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/temperate%20zone. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

temperate zone

noun
often capitalized T&Z
: the area or region between the Tropic of Cancer and the arctic circle or the Tropic of Capricorn and the antarctic circle compare frigid zone, torrid zone

More from Merriam-Webster on temperate zone

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about temperate zone

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