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Definition of "trade wind" [trade wind]

  • Any of a consistent system of prevailing winds occupying most of the tropics, constituting the major component of the general circulation of the atmosphere, and blowing northeasterly in the Northern Hemisphere and southeasterly in the Southern Hemisphere. Often used in the plural. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "trade wind" in a sentence
  • "Just before midnight with high seas running and the strong trade wind blowing, a signal lamp was used to challenge the ship, using English morse, but she did not reply."