windstorm
Americannoun
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windstorms
plural
noun
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A storm with high winds or violent gusts but little or no rain. Winds with speeds up to 241 km (149 mi) per hour have been recorded during windstorms.
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See also tornado
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of windstorm
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at wind 1, storm
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.
See Examples For:
The company continued to keep power flowing through its high-voltage lines in Altadena, despite National Weather Service alerts for a “life-threatening” windstorm, the investigation found.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
Google said Monday it is partnering with NextEra Energy to reopen the Duane Arnold Energy Center, a nuclear plant that closed five years ago after damage from a windstorm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2025
Before that it was Storm Eowyn in January, the most powerful windstorm in the UK for over a decade with gusts of over 135mph.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2025
Investigators have been trying to determine the Palisades fire’s exact point of origin and how, during a massive windstorm, it raced from the hills to the ocean.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2025
"Explain to me how a single windstorm removed our ability to talk to Ares 3."
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
Natural beauty is one of the great draws of Altadena, but the risk of windstorms, wildfires and floods is part of the bargain.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2025
Scientists are more confident that the coastal impacts of windstorms, from storm surges and high waves, will worsen as sea-levels rise.
From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2025
If your home or business was affected by the windstorms or fires, you may be eligible for temporary property tax relief through the Los Angeles County assessor’s office.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 14, 2025
The plan, if approved by lawmakers, would make $1.5 billion available in state funds to prepare for the threat of firestorms, windstorms and other natural disasters in addition to federal disaster money.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 13, 2025
It came from the direction of the mountains, flying low and kicking up dust in a dozen separate windstorms in its wake.
From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld
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.
