cyclone

[ sahy-klohn ]

See synonyms for: cyclone cyclones on Thesaurus.com

noun

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.: Compare anticyclone, extratropical cyclone, subtropical cyclone, tropical cyclone.
(not in technical use) tornado (def. 1).

Also called cy·clone col·lec·tor [sahy-klohn kuh-lek-ter], /ˈsaɪ kloʊn kəˌlɛk tər/, cy·clone sep·a·ra·tor [sahy-klohn sep-uh-rey-ter]. /ˈsaɪ kloʊn ˌsɛp əˌreɪ tər/. Machinery. a device for removing small or powdered solids from air, water, or other gases or liquids by centrifugal force.

Compare Meanings

cyclone vs. hurricane typhoon vs. cyclone cyclone vs. anticyclone

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.

Origin of cyclone

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”

Other words from cyclone

min·i·cy·clone, noun
pre·cy·clone, noun

Words that may be confused with cyclone

cyclone , hurricane, tidal wave, tornado, tsunami, typhoon

Words Nearby cyclone

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cyclone in a sentence

Very warm ocean waters, such as in the Atlantic Ocean this year, foster tropical cyclone formation.
Wildfires, heat waves and hurricanes broke all kinds of records in 2020 | Carolyn Gramling | December 21, 2020 | Science News
That’s because the intense winds of cyclones feed on moisture and heat picked up from the warm waters, and warmer air can also hold more moisture.
Once hurricanes make landfall, they’re lingering longer and staying stronger | Carolyn Gramling | November 11, 2020 | Science News
In its annual report, India’s central bank stated that the country is witnessing more intense droughts, downward shifts in average rainfall as well as a higher frequency of cyclones.
How climate change will hurt India’s already wounded economy | Prathamesh Mulye | September 8, 2020 | Quartz
The strength of a tropical cyclone is defined by its wind speeds.
Let’s learn about hurricanes | Bethany Brookshire | July 15, 2020 | Science News For Students
Even worse, rain can fall in extreme amounts, especially during hurricanes and cyclones.
Let’s learn about rain | Bethany Brookshire | June 17, 2020 | Science News For Students

Tropical cyclone Oswald has produced a blanketing of sea foam in parts of Queensland, Australia.
A Giant Bubble Bath | Ilana Glazer | January 28, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
The courtroom itself is surrounded by high cyclone fences, braided with coiled razor wire, and watched by heavily armed guards.
Inside the Khalid Sheik Mohammed Hearing Circus | Terry McDermott | May 6, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
On Ren, the guard, he descended like a young cyclone, with warnings for mademoiselle's safety and comfort.
The Amazing Interlude | Mary Roberts Rinehart
What a cyclone there is going to be to-morrow when this piece of paper gets to work!
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Complete | Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
It is only a cyclone that seems to be able to overthrow a sound tree, and then it more commonly breaks its trunk than uproots it.
Birds and All Nature, Vol. VI, No. 3, October 1899 | Various
"Hope we're not in for a cyclone," says one of the men, appearing out of the smoking-room with a pipe in his mouth.
Round the Wonderful World | G. E. Mitton
When Molly arrived the next morning, she flew into the house like a small and well-wrapped-up cyclone.
Marjorie's Busy Days | Carolyn Wells

British Dictionary definitions for cyclone (1 of 2)

cyclone

/ (ˈsaɪkləʊn) /

noun

another name for depression (def. 6)
a violent tropical storm; hurricane

Origin of cyclone

C19: from Greek kuklōn a turning around, from kukloein to revolve, from kuklos wheel

Derived forms of cyclone

cyclonic (saɪˈklɒnɪk), cyclonical or cyclonal, adjective
cyclonically, adverb

British Dictionary definitions for Cyclone (2 of 2)

Cyclone

/ (ˈsaɪkləʊn) /

adjective

trademark Australian and NZ (of fencing) made of interlaced wire and metal

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for cyclone

cyclone

[ sī′klōn′ ]

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.

a closer look

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.

Cultural definitions for cyclone

cyclone

Any circular wind motion. A region of low atmospheric pressure. Also, a tropical storm.

Notes for cyclone

Cyclones can be a few feet across (“dust devils”) or can be major storm systems such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and typhoons.

Notes for cyclone

These winds move counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. (See Coriolis effect.)

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