storm
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A violent weather condition with winds 64-72 knots and precipitation and thunder and lightning.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
stawrmIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈstɔɹm
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A violent weather condition with winds 64-72 knots (11 on the Beaufort scale) and precipitation and thunder and lightning
Any disturbed state of the atmosphere causing destructive or unpleasant weather, especially one affecting the earth's surface involving strong winds (leading to high waves at sea) and usually lightning, thunder, and precipitation.
by extension
A heavy fall of precipitation (hail, rain, or snow) or bout of lightning and thunder without strong winds; a hail storm, rainstorm, snowstorm, or thunderstorm.
A violent commotion or disturbance
“The storms that had characterized their relationship had died away.”
figurative
A heavy expulsion or fall of things (as blows, objects which are thrown, etc.).
figurative
A violent agitation of human society; a domestic, civil, or political commotion.
verb
transitivefigurative
To disturb or trouble (someone).
intransitivefigurative
To be in a violent temper; to use harsh language; to fume, to rage.
intransitive
Of the weather: to be violent, with strong winds and usually lightning and thunder, and/or hail, rain, or snow.
transitiveby extensionespecially in command economies
To catch up (on production output) by making frenzied or herculean efforts.
intransitive
To be exposed to harsh (especially cold) weather.
intransitivefigurative
To move noisily and quickly like a storm (noun etymology 1, sense 1), usually in a state of anger or uproar.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A violent weather condition with winds 64-72 knots (11 on the Beaufort scale) and precipitation and thunder and lightning
Used this way, storm is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly unfavourable pull. This sense is used where position and measurement matter — travel, weather and flight — so it reads as factual rather than emotive.
- Emotional tone
- Negative
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Serious and weighty
- Usage feel
- Blunt and forceful
Where it naturally appears
- Geography/travel
- Weather/aviation
- Technical/specialist writing
Nearby words
- violent storm , more casual, better suited to speech than writing
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use storm
- “If it storms, we'll need shelter.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
Affected or characterized by storms or commotion.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A center of trouble or disturbance.
A center of trouble or disturbance.
A heavy dark cloud presaging rain or a storm.
A canvas cone hoisted to warn of high winds.
An extra outer door for protection against severe weather or winter.
An oil lamp with a glass chimney and perforated metal lid to protect the flame from high winds.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: violent weather condition with winds 64-72 knots (11 on the Beaufort scale) and precipitation and thunder and lightning
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.