Meteorology. a large-scale, atmospheric wind-and-pressure system characterized by low pressure at its center and by circular wind motion, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.
(not in technical use) tornado.
Also called cyclone collector. Also called cyclone separator. Machinery. a device for removing small or powdered solids from air, water, or other gases or liquids by centrifugal force.
another name for depression
a violent tropical storm; hurricane
A large-scale system of winds that spiral in toward a region of low atmospheric pressure. A cyclone's rotational direction is opposite to that of an anticyclone. In the Northern hemisphere, a cyclone rotates counterclockwise; in the Southern hemisphere, clockwise. Because low-pressure systems generally produce clouds and precipitation, cyclones are often simply referred to as storms.
◆ An extratropical cyclone is one that forms outside the tropics at middle or high latitudes. Extratropical cyclones usually have an organized front and migrate eastward with the prevailing westerly winds of those latitudes.
◆ A tropical cyclone forms over warm tropical waters and is generally smaller than an extratropical cyclone. Such a system is characterized by a warm, well-defined core and can range in intensity from a tropical depression to a hurricane.
Compare anticyclone
A small-scale, violently rotating windstorm, such as a tornado or waterspout. Not in scientific use.
What’s the difference between a cyclone, a hurricane, and a typhoon? Cyclone, hurricane, and typhoon are all terms for big storms. Although the word cyclone is often used to refer to a big storm, it is, technically speaking, a large-scale, atmospheric wind-and-pressure system characterized by low pressure at its center and by circular wind motion. Because these generally produce clouds and precipitation, cyclones are often simply referred to as storms. When such storms form around the tropics, they are called tropical cyclones. Tropical cyclones are classified based on their strength. They may start as tropical depressions and progress to tropical storms. The most severe tropical cyclones—those with winds of 74 mph (119 k/mh) or more—are called hurricanes or typhoons. Which term is used depends on where the storm occurs. Generally, storms that form over the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico are called hurricanes, while those that form over the Pacific Ocean are called typhoons. (The word hurricane is sometimes used for storms that form over the eastern or central North Pacific Ocean.)Cyclones rotate counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. cyclone vs. tornadoIn casual use, the word cyclone is sometimes used to refer to a tornado (but it is not used this way in scientific contexts). Here’s an example of cyclone, hurricane, and typhoon used correctly in a sentence. Example: There have been many devastating cyclones this season, including a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico and multiple typhoons in the Pacific. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between cyclones, hurricanes, and typhoons.
Technically, a cyclone is nothing more than a region of low pressure around which air flows in an inward spiral. In the Northern Hemisphere the air moves counterclockwise around the low-pressure center, and in the Southern Hemisphere the air travels clockwise. Meteorologists also refer to tropical cyclones, which are cyclonic low-pressure systems that develop over warm water. For a tropical cyclone to originate, a large area of ocean must have a surface temperature greater than 27 degrees Celsius (80.6 degrees Fahrenheit). Tropical cyclones are categorized based on the strength of their sustained surface winds. They may begin as a tropical depression, with winds less than 39 miles (63 kilometers) per hour. Tropical storms are identified and tracked once the winds exceed this speed. Severe tropical cyclones, with winds of 74 miles (119 kilometers) per hour or greater, are better known as hurricanes when they occur in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, or as typhoons when they happen in the Pacific Ocean. Because the word cyclone broadly defines a kind of air flow, cyclones are not confined to our planet. In 1999 the Hubble Space Telescope photographed a cyclone more than 1,610 kilometers (1,000 miles) across in the northern polar regions of Mars.
These winds move counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. (See Coriolis effect.)
Cyclones can be a few feet across (“dust devils”) or can be major storm systems such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and typhoons.
Introduced by British meteorologist Henry Piddington (1797–1858) in 1848, perhaps from Greek kyklôn “revolving” (present participle of kykloûn “to revolve,” verbal derivative of kýklos “wheel, ring, circle”; see cycle); apparently confused by Piddington with kýklōma “wheel, snake's coil”
How does cyclone compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
A cyclone is another word for "tornado" or other types of violent, spinning storms. It was a cyclone that uprooted Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz," and her little dog Toto too. In the midwestern part of the United States, a cyclone is a tornado. But ask a meteorologist and he'll tell you that technically a cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm that forms over a warm ocean, specifically in the South Pacific. Tropical cyclones are actually much bigger than tornadoes: a small cyclone could be 100 miles across, while a monster tornado would only be about a mile across.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"El Nino may influence tropical cyclone activity in the Central and East Pacific and could alter the risk of floods, wildfires, and other weather extremes elsewhere," it said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
Bavi will be the 11th category four or five tropical cyclone to hit US territory in the past decade - one more than the total recorded in the prior 57 years.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
"With space weather in particular," Holt added, "a single event such as a tropical cyclone can be very important."
From Science Daily ● Jun. 3, 2026
The only difference is that now she lives in the northeast and thinks fall colors are beautiful where bomb cyclone blizzards are part of life.
From Salon ● May 9, 2026
“Next thang she knew, the cyclone was liftin’ the bridge right up from over her, like it was a piece a-paper.”
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
Only four others have been so efficient in the championship round, none older than 33-year-old Cyclone Taylor of the Vancouver Millionaires in 1918.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
Cyclone Senyar ravaged Sumatra in late November, killing more than 1,000 people in Southeast Asia's deadliest natural disaster for 2025.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026
"Sri Lanka was just coming out of another disaster -- Cyclone Ditwah -- and the government imposed a state of emergency to deal with that."
From Barron's ● Apr. 4, 2026
Both suffered outages on Thursday afternoon as Tropical Cyclone Narelle lurked off the coast of Western Australia.
From Barron's ● Mar. 27, 2026
One night, far back in the mountains, in a place called “The Cyclone Timber,” Old Dan really pulled a good one.
From "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls
But in their quest for relief, they’ve found massive, dangerous waves and strong currents fueled by tropical cyclones from the eastern Pacific Ocean, according to the National Weather Service.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
According to the report, scientists can now attribute particular extreme, heat, and rainfall events with a high degree of confidence to man-caused climate change, and wildfires, droughts and tropical cyclones with moderate confidence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
This particularly deprives eastern parts of the country of rainfall and sees a later start to the northern wet season -- though less chance of tropical cyclones.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
Scientists say studying gravity waves produced by tropical cyclones is about more than understanding an interesting atmospheric phenomenon.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 3, 2026
Then I put it in my book of weather systems, between cyclones and anti-cyclones, where it would be safe.
From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd
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.
