storm

¹ American  

[stawrm] / stɔrm /

noun

1. a disturbance of the normal condition of the atmosphere, manifesting itself by winds of unusual force or direction, often accompanied by rain, snow, hail, thunder, and lightning, or flying sand or dust.

   Synonyms:

   blizzard, wind, squall, cyclone, tornado, tempest, hurricane, gale

2. a heavy fall of rain, snow, or hail, or a violent outbreak of thunder and lightning, unaccompanied by strong winds.

3. Also called violent storm.  Meteorology. a wind of 64–72 miles per hour (29–32 meters per second).

4. a violent military assault on a fortified place, strong position, or the like.

5. a heavy or sudden volley or discharge.

   a storm of criticism; a storm of bullets.

6. a violent disturbance of affairs, as a civil, political, social, or domestic commotion.

7. a violent outburst or outbreak of expression.

   a storm of applause.

8. Informal. storm window.

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verb (used without object)

1. (of the wind or weather) to blow with unusual force, or to rain, snow, hail, etc., especially with violence (usually used impersonally with it as subject).

   It stormed all day.

2. to rage or complain with violence or fury.

   He stormed angrily at me.

3. to deliver a violent attack or fire, as with artillery.

   The troops stormed against the garrison.

4. to rush to an assault or attack.

   The tanks stormed towards the city.

5. to rush angrily.

   to storm out of a room.

verb (used with object)

1. to subject to or as if to a storm.

   The salesman stormed them with offers.

2. to utter or say with angry vehemence.

   The strikers stormed their demands.

3. to attack or assault (persons, places, or things).

   to storm a fortress.

idioms

1. storm in a teacup. teacup.

Storm ² American  

[shtohrm] / ʃtoʊrm /

noun

1. Theodore Woldsen 1817–88, German poet and novelist.

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storm British  

/ stɔːm /

noun

1. 1. a violent weather condition of strong winds, rain, hail, thunder, lightning, blowing sand, snow, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      storm signal

      storm sail

   3. ( in combination )

      stormproof

2. meteorol a violent gale of force 10 on the Beaufort scale reaching speeds of 55 to 63 mph

3. a strong or violent reaction

   a storm of protest

4. a direct assault on a stronghold

5. a heavy discharge or rain, as of bullets or missiles

6. short for storm window

7. US equivalent: tempest in a teapot.  a violent fuss or disturbance over a trivial matter

8. 1. to capture or overrun by a violent assault

   2. to overwhelm and enthral

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verb

1. to attack or capture (something) suddenly and violently

2. (intr) to be vociferously angry

3. (intr) to move or rush violently or angrily

4. (intr; with it as subject) to rain, hail, or snow hard and be very windy, often with thunder or lightning

storm Scientific  

/ stôrm /

1. A low-pressure atmospheric disturbance resulting in strong winds accompanied by rain, snow, or other precipitation and often by thunder and lightning.

2. A wind with a speed from 103 to 117 km (64 to 73 mi) per hour, rating 11 on the Beaufort scale.

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storm More Idioms  

1. see any port in a storm; kick up a fuss (storm); ride out (the storm); take by storm; weather the storm.

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Other Word Forms

• outstorm verb (used with object)
• stormlike adjective
• unstormed adjective

Etymology

Origin of storm

First recorded before 900; (noun) Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch storm, German Sturm, Old Norse stormr; (verb) Middle English stormen, derivative of the noun (compare obsolete sturme, Middle English sturmen, Old English styrman, denominative verb from the same Germanic base as storm ); akin to stir ¹

Example Sentences

Throughout all these storms, Kaplan found emotional sustenance from his lifelong companion, his diary.

From The Wall Street Journal

Fifty years ago, the U.S. was hit by a perfect storm of negative events that shook the nation’s economic foundations to the core.

From MarketWatch

Red aurora tends to appear during particularly powerful geomagnetic storms, when the solar wind is strong enough to push particles to extreme heights.

From BBC

The veteran has weathered many a political storm, including a scandal over his use of party funds to buy expensive suits.

From Barron's

The first shot, so to speak, came in Anthropic’s conflict with the Pentagon after the company refused to have its technology used for fully autonomous killer drone storms and the mass surveillance of Americans.

From Salon

Related Words

• blizzard
• cloudburst
• cyclone
• disturbance
• gale
• hurricane
• monsoon
• snowstorm
• squall
• tempest