tsunami

noun

tsu·​na·​mi (t)su̇-ˈnä-mē 

plural tsunamis also tsunami

: a great sea wave produced especially by submarine earth movement or volcanic eruption : tidal wave

tsunamic

(t)su̇-ˈnä-mik 

adjective

Examples of tsunami in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Still, Monday’s earthquake and tsunami warning were a reminder to the quake-prone area of the March 2011 disaster that ravaged large swaths of the northern coast, triggering a nuclear crisis in Fukushima. —Mari Yamaguchi, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026

There were initial reports in Japanese media that at least two nuclear power plants in the northeast region under a tsunami warning on Monday were thus far unaffected by the earthquake. —CBS News, 20 Apr. 2026

Officials initially issued a tsunami warning for waves up to 10 feet (three meters). —Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 20 Apr. 2026

Tsunami waves hit Japan after major earthquake A warning message on a screen in Tokyo from a live feed from broadcaster NHK shows a tsunami alert, after an earthquake hit northern Japan on Monday. —Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 20 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Japanese, from tsu harbor + nami wave

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tsunami

• salami
• tatami
• thalami
• balmy
• brahmi
• commie
• mommy
• palmy
• rami
• saami
• swami
• swamy

Kids Definition

tsunami

noun

tsu·​na·​mi (t)su̇-ˈnäm-ē 

: a great sea wave produced especially by an earthquake or volcanic eruption under the sea : tidal wave

Etymology

Japanese, from tsu "harbor" + nami "wave"