cyclone

1 of 2

noun

cy·​clone ˈsī-ˌklōn How to pronounce cyclone (audio)
1
a
: a storm or system of winds that rotates about a center of low atmospheric pressure, advances at a speed of 20 to 30 miles (about 30 to 50 kilometers) an hour, and often brings heavy rain
b
2
: any of various centrifugal devices for separating materials (such as solid particles from gases)
cyclonic adjective
cyclonically adverb

Cyclone

2 of 2

trademark

Cy·​clone ˈsī-ˌklōn How to pronounce Cyclone (audio)
used for a chain-link fence

Examples of cyclone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
It’s expected to keep soaring, along with more intense cyclones, monsoon rainfalls and rampant flooding. Anant Gupta, Washington Post, 22 Sep. 2023 Cyclone Freddy turned out to be the longest-lasting cyclone ever on record, causing untold damage and killing more than 600 people across Mozambique, Madagascar, and Malawi, with some counts even higher. Blanca Begert, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2023 The dams along the Wadi Derna river valley collapsed amid Storm Daniel, a Mediterranean cyclone that dropped up to 16 inches of rain over parts of the North African country in a single 24-hour period this week. Lauren Leffer, Scientific American, 15 Sep. 2023 Summer storms and cyclones have always contained large amounts of moisture and still require the right conditions to develop. Theodora Yu, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2023 The torrential rainfall that has devastated Derna and other cities in Libya’s northeast is the result of a very strong low-pressure system, which brought catastrophic flooding to Greece last week before moving into the Mediterranean and developing into a tropical-like cyclone known as a medicane. Mostafa Salem, CNN, 13 Sep. 2023 That more easterly path would take the storm over more of the Baja California peninsula and more rapidly weaken the cyclone. Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2023 For most residents of Vanuatu, questions of foreign interference were far from top of the agenda, as the country battles economic difficulties and the recovery from twin cyclones this year, Newton Cain said. Christopher Cottrell, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Sep. 2023 Some research projects track hurricanes, cyclones and other weather phenomena from space. Kerry Breen, CBS News, 29 Aug. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cyclone.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

modification of Greek kyklōma wheel, coil, from kykloun to go around, from kyklos circle

First Known Use

Noun

1848, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of cyclone was in 1848

Dictionary Entries Near cyclone

Cite this Entry

“Cyclone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cyclone. Accessed 29 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

cyclone

noun
cy·​clone ˈsī-ˌklōn How to pronounce cyclone (audio)
1
: a storm or system of winds that rotates about a center of low atmospheric pressure, advances at a speed of 20 to 30 miles (30 to 50 kilometers) an hour, and often brings a great deal of rain
2
cyclonic adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on cyclone

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