Meaning of solstice in English

solstice

/ˈsɑːl.stɪs/ /ˈsoʊl.stɪs/ uk

/ˈsɒl.stɪs/

either of the two occasions in the year when the sun is directly above either the farthest point north or the farthest point south of the equator that it ever reaches. These are the times in the year, in the middle of the summer or winter, when there are the longest hours of day or night:

the summer/winter solstice

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equinox

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Astronomy

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(Definition of solstice from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

solstice | Intermediate English

solstice

noun [ C ]

/ˈsɑl·stɪs, ˈsoʊl-/

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earth science

either of the two times during the year when the sun is farthest from the equator, about June 21st when the sun is farthest north of the equator and about December 22nd when it is farthest south:

The summer solstice has the longest days, and the winter solstice has the shortest.

(Definition of solstice from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of solstice

solstice

The sun seems to be dying as we approach the winter solstice six weeks away.

From Huffington Post

The solstice earlier this week reminds us that we used to tell times by the sun and the stars.

From NPR

The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year and marks the beginning of winter.

From CNN

But the winter solstice doesn't always happen at the same time.

From TIME

So, at the solstice, which we're celebrating today, one could think that it's the shortest day -- there's only 9 1/2 hours of light.

From NPR

Tonight is the winter solstice, the longest night of the year.

From NPR

The four cardinal points are marked together with the solstices and equinoxes.

From Phys.Org

Now for a fun fact: 101 days between the 11th anniversary of the 9-11 tragedy and 12-21-12 solstice.

From CNN

But it doesn't have to get ugly every time we get close to winter solstice.

From Huffington Post

During the winter solstice, the light of the setting sun entering through the gate of the monument illuminates the sacred motab.

From Phys.Org

Sunlight grows stronger and longer each day following the solstice.

From Huffington Post

Well, why do we actually have a solstice in the first place?

From NPR

Why doesn't the winter solstice have the earliest sunset of the year?

From NPR

Check out some photos below of past winter solstice celebrations around the world.

From Huffington Post

Solstice software can make displays universally accessible to any type of device without a cable connection.

From VentureBeat

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

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