tempest
Americannoun
-
a violent windstorm, especially one with rain, hail, or snow.
-
a violent commotion, disturbance, or tumult.
verb (used with object)
idioms
noun
-
literary a violent wind or storm
-
a violent commotion, uproar, or disturbance
verb
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of tempest
1200–50; Middle English tempeste < Old French < Vulgar Latin *tempesta, for Latin tempestās season, weather, storm, equivalent to tempes- (variant stem of tempus time) + -tās -ty 2
Explanation
Shakespeare's The Tempest begins with one — a tempest, or a violent and windy storm. The meaning of tempest has expanded over time to include the idea of anger or fighting. A "tempest in a tea pot" means a passionate fight over something that is in fact fairly trivial. For example, a loud argument about whether to use cloth or paper napkins at Thanksgiving could be considered a "tempest in a tea pot" to some.
Vocabulary lists containing tempest
"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Act I
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"The Raven"
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The Tempest
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Haiti's Civil Protection Agency reported two people died and another was injured Thursday when the tempest triggered a landslide in the west of the island nation.
From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2025
When he finally turned south, however, he met what may have been the fiercest tempest on Lake Superior in more than 60 years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2025
An end to the Graeme Shinnie at left-back experiment, the veteran having being turned inside out in the tempest of Celtic's attack in recent weeks.
From BBC ● May 24, 2025
So I hope that’s not just a ripple; I hope it’s the butterfly wings that start the tempest, leading more and more people to behave like socially conscious consumers.
From Salon ● Jan. 28, 2025
It’s calm, too calm, yellow fluttering birds that don’t belong in this life-bucking tempest.
From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
Now, scientists have discovered that these massive tempests can also generate lightning far more powerful than anything typically seen on Earth.
From Science Daily ● May 21, 2026
Now small armies of amateur Internet sleuths and movie fans have joined the fray, turning gripes and teapot tempests into social media scandals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2025
Over the years, ships lost in tempests have piled up on the seabed, themselves becoming hazards to vessels that drag nets around.
From National Geographic ● Dec. 15, 2023
At the time of his resignation, his decision to step down humbled and humanized a pope whose papacy had become associated with tempests.
From New York Times ● Dec. 31, 2022
It was his habit to walk to and from church every Sunday, and this he did, undeterred by tempests, boiling sun, or freezing weather.
From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee
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.
