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windstorm

American  
[wind-stawrm] / ˈwɪndˌstɔrm /

noun

  1. a storm with heavy wind but little or no precipitation.

windstorm British  
/ ˈwɪndˌstɔːm /

noun

  1. a storm consisting of violent winds

"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
windstorm Scientific  
/ wĭnd′stôrm′ /

  1. 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.

  2. See also tornado

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.

What began as a business idea after the windstorm became something more personal for Peck: creating art and giving new life to fallen trees.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

This latest windstorm brought gusts from the north to northeast; in a typical Santa Ana wind event, they come from the east to northeast, said weather service meteorologist Rose Schoenfeld.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 17, 2025

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

Sparks jumped across the river as the machine’s windstorm stirred the fire to a new intensity.

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.