tempest

noun

ˈtem-pəst How to pronounce tempest (audio)
Definition of tempestnext
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

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 Cusk, best known for her trilogy of largely plotless novels, has gotten embroiled in a tabloid tempest involving a Hollywood icon precisely because of her new book's plot. — Colin Dwyer, NPR, 4 Aug. 2026 But the tempest over his future is pushing the rest of the Republican Party to a breaking point. — Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 3 Aug. 2026 There may be a tempest in Galadriel, but Anarion has a magical hovering sword behind his neck. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026 In Homer’s Odyssey, the Greek hero Odysseus must overcome tempests, temptations, mythical monsters, and divine wrath to sail home to the island of Ithaca after the Trojan War. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for tempest
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tempest
  1. storm
  2. upheaval
  3. unrest
  4. revolution
  5. earthquake
Noun
  • Simon has weakened to a Category 2 storm, its eye remaining just offshore as its most powerful winds and rain slammed communities between the Sierra Madre and the ocean and were forecast to persist off the coast of Puerto Vallarta.
    — JAIMIE DING, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Typically, when embroiled in these sorts of escalating back-and-forths, Larry’s go-to move was the quit-and-storm-off.
    — Blake J. Harris, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of storm
Noun
  • Political upheaval The prosecutions have unfolded against the backdrop of dramatic changes in relations between Washington and Caracas.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2026
  • As Japan entered a period of political upheaval in the mid-nineteenth century, criminal gangs became useful in a new way.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of upheaval
Noun
  • India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Philippines are among the countries that are most exposed to food security risk from the super El Niño and also face the highest risk of civil unrest due to rising prices, Verisk Maplecroft said.
    — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
  • French youths have been demonstrating over poor conditions at school buildings, and analysts expect unrest to intensify after a teenager’s hand was blown off by a riot police sting grenade.
    — Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of unrest
Noun
  • Major technology revolutions have always triggered dramatic boom-bust cycles.
    — RUCHIR SHARMA, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Few contemporary authors embody that idea more than Becky Chambers, whose stories imagine alternative futures—not through grand revolutions or galaxy-spanning battles but through ordinary people trying to care for one another.
    — Sam Macdonald, Scientific American, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of revolution
Noun
  • Although television coverage suggested the capital had escaped the widespread structural destruction visible in communities closer to the epicenter, the earthquake caused major disruptions to daily life.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The earthquake's epicenter was roughly 7 miles northeast of Walker Lake and occurred at a depth of 6 miles.
    — CA Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of earthquake

Browse Nearby Words

tempers
tempest
tempests
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Cite this Entry

“Tempest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tempest. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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