tropics

T1R1O1P3I1C3S1

noun

The region of the Earth centred on the equator and lying between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn and characterized by a hot climate.

Similar
torrid zonetropical zone
Less commonScrabble 11
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Meanings

tropics1

noun
  1. pluralplural of tropic
nounthe tropics pl (plural only)
  1. pluralplural onlygeographyThe region of the Earth centred on the equator and lying between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn and characterized by a hot climate.

    The day was ending; night comes on very quickly in the tropics, and as yet there was no moon visible.

    1887, Harriet W. Daly, Digging, Squatting, and Pioneering Life in the Northern Territory of South Australia, page 165
    2 more examples

    ‘In the tropics one must before everything keep calm.’...He lifted a warning forefinger...‘Du calme, du calme.’

    1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part I, page 201

    How can one explain to someone who hasn't lived close to the secret heart of the tropics, at the mercy of their anger and stealth and poison; who hasn't experienced the mystery of the drums, seen the quick workings of magic and the mortal dread it inspires?

    1954, Ian Fleming, “Allumeuse”, in Live and Let Die, London: Pan Books, published 1957, page 108

    Synonyms: torrid zone, tropical zone

Tropics2

noun
  1. pluralplural of Tropic

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe region of the Earth centred on the equator and lying between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn and characterized by a hot climate.

Similar
torrid zonetropical zone
Also see
tropical zone

Translations

Catalan tròpics
  • tròpicsregion of the Earth
Chinese Mandarin 熱帶 /热带
  • 熱帶 /热带 (rèdài)region of the Earth
Czech tropy
  • tropyregion of the Earth
Danish troperne
  • troperneregion of the Earth
Finnish tropiikki
  • tropiikkiregion of the Earth
French tropiques
  • tropiquesregion of the Earth
German Tropen
  • Tropenregion of the Earth
Hindi उष्णकटिबन्ध
  • उष्णकटिबन्ध (uṣṇakṭibandh)region of the Earth
Hungarian trópus, forró égöv
  • trópusregion of the Earth
  • forró égövregion of the Earth
Indonesian tropika, daerah khatulistiwa
  • tropikaregion of the Earth
  • daerah khatulistiwaregion of the Earth
Irish trópaicí, teochrios
  • trópaicíregion of the Earth
  • teochriosregion of the Earth
Japanese 熱帯
  • 熱帯 (nettai)region of the Earth
Korean 열대
  • 열대 (yeoldae)region of the Earth
Māori wāhi pārūrū, takiwā pārū
  • wāhi pārūrūregion of the Earth
  • takiwā pārūregion of the Earth
Norwegian Bokmål tropene
  • tropeneregion of the Earth
Persian مبدأها
  • مبدأها (mabd'hâ)region of the Earth
Polish tropik
  • tropikregion of the Earth
Portuguese trópicos
  • trópicosregion of the Earth
Romanian tropice
  • tropiceregion of the Earth
Russian тро́пики
  • тро́пики (trópiki)region of the Earth
Spanish trópicos
  • trópicosregion of the Earth
Swahili tropiki
  • tropikiregion of the Earth
Swedish tropikerna
  • tropikernaregion of the Earth
Tagalog alindanga, kaaalindangaan
  • alindangaregion of the Earth
  • kaaalindangaanregion of the Earth
  • intananregion of the Earth
Vietnamese nhiệt đới
  • nhiệt đớiregion of the Earth
Welsh trofannau
  • trofannauregion of the Earth
Cite this entry
APA

tropics. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tropics

MLA

“tropics.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tropics. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tropics,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tropics.

Source: tropics on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.