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.
Only one tropical storm touched down - Chantal, which affected the Carolinas in July.
From BBC • May 21, 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
A New York Times article in October highlighted hurricanes “turning away from the East Coast,” noting 12 named storms so far but only one minor tropical storm brushing the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 3, 2025
Monsoon rains paired with two rare tropical storm systems, sometimes known in the region as cyclones, dumped record deluges across Sri Lanka, and parts of Indonesia's Sumatra, southern Thailand and northern Malaysia last week.
From Barron's • Dec. 3, 2025
“If the wind blows south, then, the hurricane might miss the entire Gulf region. “If the hurricane loosens, becomes diffuse, then, there might be only a tropical storm for Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana.
From "Ninth Ward" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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.
