perfect storm

American  

noun

1. Meteorology. a very intense and powerful storm arising from the convergence of an unusual set of weather patterns.

   A dying Hurricane Grace delivered the immeasurable tropical energy needed to create the perfect storm.

2. a detrimental or calamitous situation or event arising from the powerful combined effect of a unique set of circumstances.

   a perfect storm battering corporate pension plans.

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perfect storm British  

noun

1. a combination of events which are not individually dangerous, but occurring together produce a disastrous outcome

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Etymology

Origin of perfect storm

First recorded in 1935–40 in meteorological sense; in 1997 for current sense, from The Perfect Storm, a nonfiction book by Sebastian Junger, U.S. journalist and author (born 1962)

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

perfect storm

"You have a perfect storm that defies antibiotics."

From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026

“Britain is facing a perfect storm of imported inflation pressures,” David -Rees., an economist at Schroders, said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

“It was a perfect storm for them to have this timeless album, but that element of danger intact. That’s the hardest thing for anyone to achieve,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

A perfect storm of rising equipment costs for energy providers, expensive grid updates and new power-hungry artificial-intelligence data centers has contributed to the significant price hikes, energy experts say.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026

The answer, as historians tell us, has to do with a perfect storm of place, time, personality, and luck: but it also has to do with his brilliance as an orator.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

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