tropical storm
Americannoun
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tropical storms
plural
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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 next tropical storm, which was officially named Thursday morning, is called Dolly.
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
Officials say the tropical storm is predicted to progress west for the next couple of days.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 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
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
“Unfortunately, due to flooding from the tropical storm, the airport has been shut down for two weeks now. Our only visitors are coming from cruise ships.”
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
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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.