turbulence

[tur-byuh-luh ns]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR turbulence ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the quality or state of being turbulent; violent disorder or commotion.

Hydraulics. the haphazard secondary motion caused by eddies within a moving fluid.

Meteorology. irregular motion of the atmosphere, as that indicated by gusts and lulls in the wind.

Sometimes tur·bu·len·cy.

Origin of turbulence

From the Late Latin word turbulentia, dating back to 1590–1600. See turbulent, -ence

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for turbulence

turmoil, disturbance, confusion, unrest, tumult, instability, conflict, frenzy, commotion, unruliness, agitation, fury, bluster, havoc, fight, uproar, fracas, disorder

Examples from the Web for turbulence

Contemporary Examples of turbulence

Turbulence begins, and the only thing in the world we want is to not be on this damn plane.
The Malaysian Air Tragedy Reawakens a Primal Fear
Kelly Williams Brown
July 19, 2014
I saw two fold-out seats used by flight attendants during takeoff, landing and turbulence.
The National-Security Diaper Scramble
Philip Shishkin
April 25, 2013
There is also the vital and complex relationship with China during a time of turbulence and transition.
Obama’s Second-Term National Security To-Do List
P.J. Crowley
November 13, 2012
He concluded that turbulence, and possibly icing, “created the initial problem that led to a failure cascade.”
Air France 447 Report: How the Plane Went Down
Clive Irving
July 5, 2012
When the turbulence starts I can almost cry, because for me that would be the worst way to die.
The Year’s Grossest Film
Marlow Stern
October 3, 2011

Historical Examples of turbulence

At any rate, we have ample evidence of the turbulence of the early Roman audience.
The Dramatic Values in Plautus
Wilton Wallace Blancke
In such a case the turbulence of Boston might have been proved.
The Siege of Boston
Allen French
He holds the South Carolina turbulence too much in contempt.
Memoir of the Life of John Quincy Adams.
Josiah Quincy
His tastes were not for the violence and turbulence of the popular house.
Albert Gallatin
John Austin Stevens
Love of daring, without love of learning, sinks into turbulence.
The Sayings Of Confucius
Confucius

British Dictionary definitions for turbulence

turbulence

rarely turbulency (ˈtɜːbjʊˌlənsɪ)

noun

a state or condition of confusion, movement, or agitation; disorder

meteorol local instability in the atmosphere, oceans, or rivers

turbulent flow in a liquid or gas

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for turbulence

1590s; see turbulent + -ence.

turbulence in Science

turbulence

[tûr′byə-ləns]

Chaotic or unstable eddying motion in a fluid. Avoiding excessive turbulence generated around moving objects (such as airplanes), which can make their motion inefficient and difficult to control, is a major factor in aerodynamic design.