Meaning & use
exothermic
Describing a chemical reaction that releases heat energy into its surroundings.
See it in a sentence
Burning wood is an exothermic reaction that warms the air around the fire.
The lab experiment was exothermic, so the test tube grew noticeably warm.
A note on using this word
Exothermic reactions release energy while endothermic reactions absorb it; the two terms are commonly paired and contrasted in chemistry.
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