# environment

/ɪnˈvaɪɹənmənt/ (US) · /ɛnvˈaɪɹənmənt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/environment
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. the natural world

noun · CEFR A2

the air, water, and land in or on which people, animals, and plants live.

For teachers: the natural world, especially as affected by human activity; the complex of physical, chemical, and biotic factors that act upon an organism.

- We need to do more to protect the environment from pollution.
- The government's new policy aims to balance industrial growth with the urgent need to preserve the local environment and its biodiversity.

### 2. surroundings or conditions

noun · CEFR B1

the conditions that you live or work in and the way that they influence how you feel or work.

For teachers: the aggregate of social and cultural conditions that influence the life of an individual or community.

- The company tries to create a friendly working environment for all its employees.
- Growing up in a multilingual environment often provides children with a natural advantage in cognitive flexibility and language acquisition.

### 3. computing

noun · CEFR B2 · Technical

the set of software and hardware on a computer that allows a program to run.

For teachers: the specific configuration of hardware, software, and network protocols in which a particular system or application operates.

- You need to install the latest updates to your desktop environment.
- The developers spent the morning migrating the application from the testing environment to the live production server to ensure a smooth launch.

### 4. programming variables

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

the set of names and values that a computer program can see while it is running.

For teachers: the set of identifiers and their associated bindings available to a function or process during execution.

- The script failed because the necessary environment variables were not defined.
- In functional programming, the environment determines how free variables are evaluated within the scope of a specific closure.

## Examples

- We must work together to protect the environment.
- The company is committed to creating a safe and supportive work environment for all its employees.
- Legislators are debating new policies designed to balance industrial growth with the urgent need to preserve the local environment from chemical runoff.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.