tsunami

noun

tsu·​na·​mi (t)su̇-ˈnä-mē How to pronounce tsunami (audio)
plural tsunamis also tsunami
: a great sea wave produced especially by submarine earth movement or volcanic eruption : tidal wave
tsunamic adjective

Examples of tsunami in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The film even throws in a massive San Francisco tsunami for good measure. Ew Staff Published, EW.com, 3 July 2025 Mostly, though, there are packages, a tsunami of packages mailed by retailers to a nation of new shut-ins, suddenly ordering everything online for delivery to their front door. Casey Cep, New Yorker, 28 June 2025 In one of a tsunami of decisions handed down at the end of its term on June 27, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of parents who want to withdraw their elementary school children from reading classes featuring storybooks with LGBTQ+ characters. Caren Bohan, USA Today, 27 June 2025 Now, as the artists and galleries who helped turn Wynwood into Miami’s hippest urban district all but disappear under a tsunami of redevelopment, the Bakehouse Art Complex remains a funky, thriving oasis of creativity. Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 20 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for tsunami

Word History

Etymology

Japanese, from tsu harbor + nami wave

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tsunami was in 1896

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tsunami.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tsunami. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

tsunami

noun
tsu·​na·​mi (t)su̇-ˈnäm-ē How to pronounce tsunami (audio)
: a great sea wave produced especially by an earthquake or volcanic eruption under the sea : tidal wave
Etymology

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

More from Merriam-Webster on tsunami

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