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

This picture taken by a Miyako City official on March 11, 2011 and released on March 18, 2011 shows a tsunami breeching an embankment and flowing into the city of Miyako in Iwate prefecture shortly after a 9.0 magnitude earthquake hit the region of northern Japan. —Joe Edwards john Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 June 2025

Around the world, natural disasters—including the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 and Hurricane Katrina the following year—have entrenched this concept, whereby crises create a blank sheet ready to be exploited by Big Business. —Charlie Campbell, Time, 5 June 2025

Models suggest the tsunami was triggered by a landslide caused by an earthquake near the Tonga-Kermadec Trench, according to the study. —Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 30 May 2025

However, the 2024 NBA champions are also facing an incoming financial tsunami after (correctly) giving supermax extensions to Tatum and Brown in the last 24 months. —David Aldridge, New York Times, 22 May 2025

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"