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)

Example Sentences

At a World Cup where the unprecedented 48-team format has diluted the opening group stage, the matchup is almost a perfect storm.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

Prosecutor Hanna Llewellyn-Waters KC said the "puerile contempt" shown by Al-Danasurt, the "predatory nature" of Alshafe, and Ahmadi's selfish entitlement "created the perfect storm that night".

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026

David Ortega, a food economist and professor at Michigan State University, called current conditions “a perfect storm of many shocks.”

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

Carruthers’ case is a perfect storm of capital punishment’s familiar failures: paid informants, information withheld from the jury, untested physical evidence, and the defendant’s mental illness.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 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