tropical storm

noun

: a tropical cyclone with strong winds of over 39 miles (63 kilometers) per hour but less than hurricane intensity

Examples of tropical storm in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

When a hurricane or tropical storm threatens the coast, residents jump into action installing storm shutters to keep their homes and businesses safe from high winds. — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026

Meanwhile, significant waves from Rachel, a former tropical storm, battered the coast of Southern California. — Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2026

The metric is a measure of the total wind energy, intensity and duration of tropical storms and hurricanes. — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026

Forecasters issued flood watches Monday and warned more rain and isolated thunderstorms could hit the Southwest after the remnants of tropical storm Rachel caused severe flooding in Las Vegas over the weekend. — ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1809, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tropical storm

• cuneiform
• iodoform
• nonuniform
• brainstorm
• conform
• deform
• firestorm
• hailstorm
• inform
• landform
• lukewarm
• perform

Kids Definition

tropical storm

noun

: a cyclone in or originating in the tropics that has very strong winds of less than hurricane strength