temperature

temperature — noun

1. a number in degrees that shows the level of heat or cold in a place, an object,

1.nounA2
Definition

a number in degrees that shows the level of heat or cold in a place, an object, or a living body

Example

The temperature in the classroom reached 38 degrees Celsius during the heatwave.

temperature + in + [place]: measuring air heat

Romi checked the water temperature with her elbow before putting the baby in the bath.

check + [possessive] + temperature: measuring liquid heat

Common collocations
  • room temperature
  • body temperature
  • water temperature
  • air temperature
  • high temperature
  • low temperature
  • take someone’s temperature
  • check the temperature
  • measure the temperature
  • temperature rises
  • temperature drops
  • temperature reaches
Synonyms
  • heat

    less precise; refers to the quality of being hot rather than a measured number

  • warmth

    suggests a comfortable, mild level of heat rather than a scientific reading

  • reading

    focuses on the measurement act itself, often used for instruments

Antonyms
  • cold

    the opposite end of the hot-cold scale but not a direct antonym of ‘temperature’

Grammar Patterns

the temperature + of + noun

temperature + verb (rise, drop, reach)

at a temperature of + number

Usage Note

This is the most common meaning of temperature. The verb paired with it is usually “take” (for body heat) or “check”/“read” (for air or objects). Units (°C, °F) are almost always included when stating a specific value.

Common Mistakes

The degree today is thirty.
The temperature today is thirty degrees.
‘Degree’ alone does not mean ‘temperature’; you must say ‘the temperature is X degrees.’
The temperature is rainy and cold.
The temperature is low, and it is rainy and cold.
‘Temperature’ only measures heat; weather conditions like rain need separate description.

2. a condition in which a person’s or animal’s body is hotter than the normal healt

2.nounB1
Definition

a condition in which a person’s or animal’s body is hotter than the normal healthy range, usually because of illness or infection

Example

Noa stayed home from school because she had a temperature of 39 degrees.

have + a + temperature: expressing fever with a reading

If your baby has a temperature at night, call the clinic right away.

Common collocations
  • have a temperature
  • run a temperature
  • a slight temperature
  • a high temperature
  • bring a temperature down
  • temperature goes up / spikes
  • a temperature of + number
Synonyms
  • fever

    more direct and slightly more common in everyday speech; ‘temperature’ is often used in the same way

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

have + a + temperature

run + a + temperature

[possessive] + temperature + goes down / comes down

Usage Note

When used in medical contexts, ‘temperature’ almost always implies a fever — an abnormally high body heat. The fixed expression ‘run a temperature’ is idiomatic and sounds natural in everyday English; ‘have a temperature’ is equally common. Avoid saying ‘I have fever’ (no article) — this is a common error among L1 speakers of languages without articles.

Common Mistakes

I have fever because the weather is hot.
I have a temperature because I caught the flu.
A temperature (fever) is caused by illness, not by warm weather.
I have temperature.
I have a temperature.
In this sense, ‘temperature’ requires the article ‘a’.

3. how strongly people feel excitement, anger, or other intense emotions in a discu

3.nounB2
Definition

how strongly people feel excitement, anger, or other intense emotions in a discussion, meeting, or public situation

Example

When the manager announced the job cuts, the temperature of the meeting rose sharply.

temperature + of + [situation] + rise: growing tension

The coach tried to lower the temperature in the locker room after the team’s loss.

lower + the temperature: calming emotions

Common collocations
  • temperatures rise
  • raise the temperature
  • lower the temperature
  • political temperature
  • temperature of the debate
  • emotional temperature
Synonyms
  • tension

    more direct and common in everyday English; ‘temperature’ is more metaphorical and slightly more dramatic

  • atmosphere

    broader term covering mood and feeling; ‘temperature’ specifically focuses on rising conflict

  • heat

    overlaps significantly; ‘heat of the argument’ is a very similar metaphor

Antonyms
  • calm

    the opposite emotional state — peacefulness instead of tension or excitement

Grammar Patterns

temperature + rises / is rising

raise + the temperature

lower + the temperature

the temperature + of + [situation]

Usage Note

This is always figurative — it does not refer to actual heat. The most common collocating verbs are ‘rise’ (intransitive, the tension grows) and ‘lower’ (transitive, someone calms things down). Use ‘in’ for a general domain (‘temperatures in the debate’) and ‘of’ for a specific event (‘temperature of the discussion’).

Common Mistakes

The temperature in the room rose because he turned on the heater.
The temperature of the debate rose when the candidates started shouting.
The first sentence is literal (actual heat); the second uses the figurative sense correctly.
Idioms

raise/lower the temperature

idiom

To make a situation more or less intense, emotional, or exciting.

His sudden resignation raised the temperature in the office.

The manager's calm words lowered the temperature of the argument.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Temperature is the only word among these that names a precise, measured value shown in degrees. Heat is a broader, less exact term referring to the quality or energy of being hot (‘the heat of the sun’), and it cannot be used with numbers in the same way as temperature (‘a heat of 30 degrees’ is unnatural). Warmth suggests a mild, pleasant level of heat and is usually subjective rather than scientific. Reading focuses on what an instrument displays at a given moment (‘the thermometer reading was 38°C’), but it is a narrower term that only makes sense when a device is involved. Fever is completely different from the other three — it is a medical condition of elevated body heat, not a measurement of ambient or object heat. For example: ‘The temperature dropped to 5°C last night, so the warmth of the fire felt good. The nurse checked her thermometer reading and said she had a fever.’

heat ↗warmth ↗reading ↗fever ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • at room temperature
  • at a temperature of
  • above / below normal temperature

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The English word ‘temperature’ comes from Latin ‘temperatura’, which originally meant ‘a proper mixing or proportion’ — from the verb ‘temperare’ (‘to mix in the right way, to regulate’). In the 15th century it entered English referring to the mixing of qualities in medieval science. By the 17th century it took on its modern meaning: the degree of heat or cold measured by a thermometer.