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
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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
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Recent Examples of tempest
This gripping page-turner — featuring a decades-old murder, a writer in town to tell the real story and an oncoming tempest — feels like it was ripped from the juiciest headlines.
—
Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 11 Jan. 2026
While the idea of a one-time tax on more than 200 people has a long way to go before getting onto the ballot and would need to be passed by voters in November, the tempest around it captures the zeitgeist of angst and anger at the core of California.
—Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for tempest
Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 11 Jan. 2026
While the idea of a one-time tax on more than 200 people has a long way to go before getting onto the ballot and would need to be passed by voters in November, the tempest around it captures the zeitgeist of angst and anger at the core of California.
—Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for tempest
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tempest
Noun
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Officials say the storm brought 2 to 4 feet of snow across Michigan's northern Lower Peninsula and the Upper Peninsula.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
18 Mar. 2026
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The country, which is the biggest island in the Caribbean, has also been hit by Category 5 storms, most recently with Hurricane Irma in 2017, which killed at least 10 people, according to the Herald’s archives.—
David Goodhue
March 16,
Miami Herald,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Other local Iranian American groups are making similar efforts to square the spirit of the holiday with the upheaval and violence their families now face.—
Maura Fox,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Mar. 2026
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Hundreds of thousands have gathered in Gwanghwamun in recent years to mourn, protest and celebrate as the country weathered tragedy and political upheaval.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The Basij have long operated as a national paramilitary force under the command of Iran's Islamic theocratic rulers, playing a major role in violently quashing anti-government protests, including the unprecedented wave of unrest in January.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
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Elsewhere, experts have warned of social unrest as pump prices soar, rattling governments in Southeast Asia.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Hours earlier, Orban's supporters had massed in front of parliament on the country's annual commemoration of its 1848 revolution against Habsburg rule.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
17 Mar. 2026
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Díaz-Canel’s words masked what was, for adherents of a revolution celebrated by the global left, a painful reality.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
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It is estimated that there are 500,000 detectable earthquakes in the world each year.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
18 Mar. 2026
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Set against the backdrop of the city’s recovery from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, the film traces the two women’s gradual reconciliation through their father’s photographs, exploring themes of loss, identity and the Filipino diaspora.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tempest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tempest. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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