tornado

noun

tor·​na·​do tȯr-ˈnā-(ˌ)dō How to pronounce tornado (audio)
plural tornadoes or tornados
1
a
: a violent destructive whirling wind accompanied by a funnel-shaped cloud that progresses in a narrow path over the land
b
: a squall accompanying a thunderstorm in Africa
2
: a violent windstorm : whirlwind
3
archaic : a tropical thunderstorm

Examples of tornado in a Sentence

in the path of a tornado
Recent Examples on the Web Residents can prepare for potential tornadoes with the following steps: Prepare a safe room to evacuate to in case of a warning or approaching tornado. Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 19 Mar. 2024 Some examples YouTube offers are showing a fake tornado moving toward a real town or using deepfake voices to have a real person narrate a video. Mia Sato, The Verge, 18 Mar. 2024 Is a tornado watch or warning worse?What to know about preparing for these violent storms What is a tornado warning? USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2024 There were unconfirmed reports of tornadoes in Jefferson County, Missouri, and Monroe County, Illinois, but no immediate reports of damage. The Enquirer, 15 Mar. 2024 The severe weather threat will shift to the US Southeast today, where more than 30 million people from Texas to South Carolina could see severe storms that include large hail, damaging wind gusts, heavy rainfall and tornadoes. 5. Alexandra Banner, CNN, 15 Mar. 2024 Social media video emerged of the tornado looming eerily against graying skies at dusk. Scott Dance, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 At least three tornadoes touched down in southern Indiana and north-central Kentucky Thursday, leaving dozens of structures damaged or destroyed. Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 14 Mar. 2024 Hail, damaging wind gusts, torrential rain and tornadoes are all possible, especially during the afternoon and evening. Mary Gilbert, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tornado.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

modification of Spanish tronada thunderstorm, from tronar to thunder, from Latin tonare — more at thunder entry 1

First Known Use

1556, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of tornado was in 1556

Dictionary Entries Near tornado

Cite this Entry

“Tornado.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tornado. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

tornado

noun
tor·​na·​do tȯr-ˈnād-ō How to pronounce tornado (audio)
plural tornadoes or tornados
: a violent destructive whirling wind accompanied by a funnel-shaped cloud that moves in a narrow path over the land
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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