the equator
noun
: an imaginary circle around the middle of the Earth that is the same distance from the North Pole and the South Pole
The city of Quito, Ecuador, lies very close to the equator.
Examples of the equator in a Sentence
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The jet streams exist because of temperature differences in the atmosphere between the poles and the equator that create the strong wind fields.
—
Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026
El Niño is a warming of the ocean waters in the tropical Pacific from just off the Mexico coast to the middle of the Pacific along the equator.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026
What’s behind the forecast A key factor shaping this year’s outlook is the potential development of El Niño, a climate pattern tied to warming waters in the eastern Pacific along the equator.
—Newsroom Meteorologist, Houston Chronicle, 25 Mar. 2026
Butterfly mimicry evolves faster near the equator.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
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Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026
El Niño is a warming of the ocean waters in the tropical Pacific from just off the Mexico coast to the middle of the Pacific along the equator.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026
What’s behind the forecast A key factor shaping this year’s outlook is the potential development of El Niño, a climate pattern tied to warming waters in the eastern Pacific along the equator.
—Newsroom Meteorologist, Houston Chronicle, 25 Mar. 2026
Butterfly mimicry evolves faster near the equator.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for the equator
Cite this Entry
“The equator.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20equator. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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