emission

noun

emis·​sion ē-ˈmi-shən 

1

a

: an act or instance of emitting : emanation

b

archaic : publication

c

: a putting into circulation

2

a

: something sent forth by emitting: such as

(1)

: electromagnetic radiation from an antenna or a celestial body

(2)

usually emissions : substances discharged into the air (as by a smokestack or an automobile engine)

b

: effluvium

emissive

ē-ˈmi-siv 

adjective

Examples of emission in a Sentence

trying to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases

Recent Examples on the Web

Additionally, Brilliant Earth is third-party certified as a climate-neutral company (including the company’s footprint from both present and past emissions), partnering with Carbonfund.org to offset carbon emissions by contributing to tropical rainforest conservation in Brazil. —Laura Lajiness Kaupke, Vogue, 19 Nov. 2024

The company remains committed to sustainability and social impact, with initiatives aimed at reducing emissions and promoting diversity and inclusion within its workforce. —Quartz Bot, Quartz, 15 Nov. 2024

The country no longer offers subsidies for electric vehicles and delayed the introduction of world-first agricultural emissions pricing to the next decade, despite almost half of the country’s emissions coming from agriculture. —Mahalia Dobson, NBC News, 10 Nov. 2024

An illustration of this is using AI to monitor and report carbon emissions in logistics through intelligent route planning. —Andrey Kalyuzhnyy, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1607, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing emission

• acoustic emission
• positron-emission tomography
• re-emission
• secondary emission

Kids Definition

emission

noun

emis·​sion ē-ˈmish-ən 

1

: an act or instance of emitting

2

: something emitted or discharged

emissive

ē-ˈmis-iv 

adjective

Medical Definition

emission

noun

emis·​sion ē-ˈmish-ən 

1

: an act or instance of emitting

2

a

: something sent forth by emitting: as

(1)

: electrons discharged from a surface

(2)

: electromagnetic waves radiated by an antenna or a celestial body

(3)

: substances and especially pollutants discharged into the air (as by a smokestack or an automobile gasoline engine)

b

: a discharge of fluid from a living body

especially : ejaculate see nocturnal emission