Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

storm surge

American  

noun

  1. an abnormal rise in the level of the sea along a coast caused by the onshore winds of a severe cyclone.

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.

Sepa said there was a risk of coastal flooding on Tuesday due to a combination of very strong winds, a storm surge and spring tides.

From BBC • Dec. 9, 2025

Vonk and his team ensure the country is ready for extreme scenarios: a drought meaning all inland shipping is beached or a devastating storm surge.

From Barron's • Nov. 7, 2025

"Destructive winds and storm surge and catastrophic flooding will worsen on Jamaica through the day and into tonight."

From Barron's • Oct. 27, 2025

In the case of Katrina, a storm surge over 8 metres was pushed onto the vulnerable Gulf Coast.

From BBC • Aug. 29, 2025

He wasn’t thrilled to go back into the storm surge, and he was growling again—growling and shivering with fear at the same time.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

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.