a disturbance of the normal condition of the atmosphere, manifesting itself by winds of unusual force or direction, often accompanied by rain, snow, hail, thunder, and lightning, or flying sand or dust.
a heavy fall of rain, snow, or hail, or a violent outbreak of thunder and lightning, unaccompanied by strong winds.
Also called violent storm. Meteorology. a wind of 64–72 miles per hour (29–32 meters per second).
a violent military assault on a fortified place, strong position, or the like.
a heavy or sudden volley or discharge.
a storm of criticism; a storm of bullets.
a violent disturbance of affairs, as a civil, political, social, or domestic commotion.
a violent outburst or outbreak of expression.
a storm of applause.
Informal. storm window.
(of the wind or weather) to blow with unusual force, or to rain, snow, hail, etc., especially with violence (usually used impersonally with it as subject).
It stormed all day.
to rage or complain with violence or fury.
He stormed angrily at me.
to deliver a violent attack or fire, as with artillery.
The troops stormed against the garrison.
to rush to an assault or attack.
The tanks stormed towards the city.
to rush angrily.
to storm out of a room.
to subject to or as if to a storm.
The salesman stormed them with offers.
to utter or say with angry vehemence.
The strikers stormed their demands.
to attack or assault (persons, places, or things).
to storm a fortress.
a violent weather condition of strong winds, rain, hail, thunder, lightning, blowing sand, snow, etc
( as modifier )
storm signal
storm sail
( in combination )
stormproof
meteorol a violent gale of force 10 on the Beaufort scale reaching speeds of 55 to 63 mph
a strong or violent reaction
a storm of protest
a direct assault on a stronghold
a heavy discharge or rain, as of bullets or missiles
short for storm window
US equivalent: tempest in a teapot. a violent fuss or disturbance over a trivial matter
to capture or overrun by a violent assault
to overwhelm and enthral
to attack or capture (something) suddenly and violently
(intr) to be vociferously angry
(intr) to move or rush violently or angrily
(intr; with it as subject) to rain, hail, or snow hard and be very windy, often with thunder or lightning
A low-pressure atmospheric disturbance resulting in strong winds accompanied by rain, snow, or other precipitation and often by thunder and lightning.
A wind with a speed from 103 to 117 km (64 to 73 mi) per hour, rating 11 on the Beaufort scale.
First recorded before 900; (noun) Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch storm, German Sturm, Old Norse stormr; (verb) Middle English stormen, derivative of the noun (compare obsolete sturme, Middle English sturmen, Old English styrman, denominative verb from the same Germanic base as storm ); akin to stir 1
A storm is what happens when the earth's atmosphere is disturbed. If the weather report says that a storm is on the way, you might want to carry an umbrella — or just stay at home and watch movies. Storms range from the windstorm that blows branches off your tree to the snowstorm that buries your neighborhood under two feet of the white stuff. It's a verb too: "It began to storm outside, and the rain beat down on the windows." Figuratively, you might even storm angrily: "My sister was so mad that she stormed around her room, kicking things." Something controversial can also cause a figurative storm, or uproar.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This potential storm may also bring heavy rain to places, especially in the west, whilst some places further east could stay dry.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
Heavy rain and strong winds battered the northeastern United States on Saturday as an unusually powerful autumn storm intensified, forcing the cancelation of hundreds of flights and leaving tens of thousands of people without power.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
While managers of Southern California’s flood control system are preparing for an active storm season, some of the biggest efforts to capture more water are underway in the Central Valley.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026
She opened Rite Buy, a 1,200-square-foot grocery with three employees in a former garage, serving neighbors still recovering from the storm, many of whom rely on food benefits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
“He wasn’t in the house. When the storm came, I got up to close the window because the rain was coming in. I looked through the glass and saw him standing out in the yard.”
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
President George H. W. Bush avoided over-managing Desert Storm; instead, he left its direction to learned military leaders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Nearly 150 homes in an Angus town which were devastated by Storm Babet almost three years ago are to be demolished.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
While her home was renovated after Storm Babet, other properties have remained empty, leaving the area like a "ghost town".
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
"Storm surf generated by Hurricane Marie and runoff from a storm drain outfall eroded a large portion of the festival site," said a statement from the city of Santa Monica.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
Storm knew I would feel bad, and he did the only thing he could do.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
With a strong El Niño increasing the odds of big storms this fall and winter, California is on alert for possible flooding.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026
As climate change stresses California’s water systems, figuring out how to take advantage of big storms when they come has never been so important.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026
They provided insight into how they select companies that are likely to weather storms over the long haul.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
The BBC's Courtney Sargent explains how El Niño caused one of the most powerful storms of the season in the Pacific Ocean.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
He believes witches can summon up storms that sink ships at sea—James had almost lost his life in such a storm.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Kalshi has stormed into sports wagers, challenging top online sportsbooks including DraftKings and FanDuel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Shares of Intel, Advanced Micro Devices and other hardware companies stormed higher on Monday in a show of intense investor appetite for the artificial-intelligence trade.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
That night some of them stormed a major highway, closing lanes of traffic to demand a response from state authorities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
When Abe Saperstein, the Globetrotters’ founder, stormed the Reds locker room in a huff, Klotz warned him, “If you let your guard down, we’ll get you again.”
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026
The tingling sensation I normally got in my fingers now stormed through my whole body, like just being near him would make every story funnier and more memorable.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
Shares of Intel, Advanced Micro Devices and other hardware stocks were storming higher on Monday in a show of intense investor appetite for the artificial-intelligence trade.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
Instead of a W, Western Michigan took the L. Excited Wolverine fans hopped the railings to join the most embarrassing field storming in college football history.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
Still, though it wakes up when we get to the storming of the Bastille, economically but effectively rendered, and, later the Reign of Terror, in between it can turn into a murky, mopey slog.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
Another potential scenario, Shpaizman said, is one resembling the storming of the US Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021, as they tried to stop certification of his election defeat.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
And Ser Loras was young, prone to all the rash judgments of youth, and had been grievously wounded storming the castle besides.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
