La Niña

noun

La Ni·​ña lä-ˈnē-nyə How to pronounce La Niña (audio) -nyä How to pronounce La Niña (audio)
plural La Niñas
: an irregularly recurring upwelling of unusually cold water to the ocean surface along the western coast of South America that often occurs following an El Niño and that disrupts typical regional and global weather patterns especially in a manner opposite to that of El Niño

Examples of La Niña in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Just last month, climate scientists were predicting that 2025 wouldn’t be as hot as 2024 or 2023, with the La Nina a major reason. — Seth Borenstein, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2025 Due to La Nina conditions in the Pacific Ocean, the jet stream is buckled to the north and all the rain storms are being steered away from southern California. — Max Golembo, ABC News, 15 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, the (female) child

First Known Use

1981, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of La Niña was in 1981

Browse Nearby Words

Laniidae
La Niña
laning
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“La Niña.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/La%20Ni%C3%B1a. Accessed 28 Apr. 2025.

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Kids Definition

La Niña

noun
La Ni·​ña lä-ˈnē-nyə How to pronounce La Niña (audio) -nyä How to pronounce La Niña (audio)
: an irregularly occurring movement of deep cold water to the ocean surface along the western coast of South America that often occurs after an El Niño and that disrupts weather patterns especially in a manner opposite that of an El Niño
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