1
as in storm
a disturbance of the atmosphere accompanied by wind and often by precipitation (as rain or snow)
the sudden summertime tempest drove us off the golf course and into the clubhouse
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in upheaval
a violent disturbance (as of the political or social order)
the town council handled the tempest over cuts to the school budget as well as could be expected
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of tempest
This wild tempest of a tale set in Depression-era Nebraska follows a prairie witch and a high school girl swept up into a tumultuous western epic about the tragedies and ambitions of Manifest Destiny.
—
Ron Charles, CBS News, 28 Dec. 2025
Yet What Lane Will (Actually) Do is almost secondary to the tempest he’s created to get here.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 28 Nov. 2025
But flooding — and not just from those tropical tempests — is a multibillion-dollar threat that is largely untracked by government agencies and often kept secret from the public.
—Miami Herald, 12 Nov. 2025
This week, Kenvue, the consumer health spin-off from Johnson & Johnson, found itself at the epicenter of a market tempest this week.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tempest
Ron Charles, CBS News, 28 Dec. 2025
Yet What Lane Will (Actually) Do is almost secondary to the tempest he’s created to get here.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 28 Nov. 2025
But flooding — and not just from those tropical tempests — is a multibillion-dollar threat that is largely untracked by government agencies and often kept secret from the public.
—Miami Herald, 12 Nov. 2025
This week, Kenvue, the consumer health spin-off from Johnson & Johnson, found itself at the epicenter of a market tempest this week.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tempest
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tempest
Noun
-
Lightning can strike even when a storm has seemingly passed, so exercise caution.—
Bay Area Weather Report,
Mercury News,
18 Feb. 2026
-
This week’s storms are especially welcome because the statewide snowpack has been lagging after weeks of unusually warm, dry weather.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
And then there’s D’Amaro, who will need to chart a course for the most powerful of all traditional entertainment companies amid that tech upheaval.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Wilson isn’t alone in shutting out the noise of the industry’s upheaval.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Iran used overwhelming force against the protesters to clear people out of the streets, but also to buy the government time by preventing any future waves of unrest, said Alex Vatanka, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, a Washington think tank.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Officials in law enforcement have said the number of police applicants looking to join a police force never quite rebounded since unrest around the nation led to protests and demonstrations in the wake of George Floyd’s death in 2020.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The energy of Aquarius invites revolution, innovation, and liberation, while the energy of the Fire Horse invites you to create momentum, with courage and freedom.—
Marie Bladt,
Vogue,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Much has been written about the coming AI revolution.—
Neil Senturia,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Structure information summary Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are resistant to earthquake shaking, though vulnerable structures exist.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Noem doubled down on her agency’s determination in November that Haiti no longer meets the statutory requirement for its TPS designation, which was granted by President Barack Obama after the country’s devastating 2010 earthquake.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tempest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tempest. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
