tropical storm
Americannoun
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A tropical cyclone having sustained surface winds between 39 and 73 mi (63 and 118 km) per hour.
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See Note at cyclone
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of tropical storm
First recorded in 1940–45
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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.
The hazardous surf is being sent from tropical storm systems south of California, including Tropical Storm Fausto and the remnants of Tropical Storm Elida.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
"A tropical storm watch is in effect for Ochlockonee River, Florida, westward to the Jefferson/Plaquemines Parish border in Louisiana," forecasters said.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
The National Weather Service called the typhoon "very dangerous", warning of "tropical storm force" winds from Sunday afternoon or evening and "catastrophic" damage near the system's center later.
From Barron's ● Jul. 5, 2026
In August 1977, humidity and heat from a tropical storm was blamed for killing 725 dairy cows in Chino.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2026
Around the rock were drifts of snow, now sodden from the tropical storm.
From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
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.
