cyclone

1 of 2

noun

cy·​clone ˈsī-ˌklōn 

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

: tornado

c

: low entry 2 sense 1b

2

: any of various centrifugal devices for separating materials (such as solid particles from gases)

cyclonic

sī-ˈklä-nik 

adjective

cyclonically

sī-ˈklä-ni-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Cyclone

2 of 2

trademark

Cy·​clone ˈsī-ˌklōn 

—used for a chain-link fence

Examples of cyclone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The hurricane set residents of Mexico's Pacific coast on edge once again after being walloped by powerful cyclones a number of times in recent years. — Desiree Brooks, Arkansas Online, 23 Sep. 2026

The hurricane set residents along Mexico’s Pacific coast on edge once again after being walloped by a number of powerful cyclones in recent years. — Megan Janetsky, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026

The center of the cyclone was expected to close in on the islands by Friday or Saturday. — Megan Janetsky, Chicago Tribune, 21 Sep. 2026

In 1948 de Kooning was a decade into her relationship with her husband, Willem de Kooning, and at the center of a cyclone of making and talking and looking that engulfed New York artists of the 1930s and 1940s, from Arshile Gorky to Franz Kline. — Jarrett Earnest, The New York Review of Books, 19 Sep. 2026

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

Phrases Containing cyclone

• bomb cyclone
• cyclone cellar
• extratropical cyclone
• tropical cyclone

Rhymes for cyclone

• alone
• atone
• backbone
• bemoan
• bluestone
• breastbone
• brownstone
• capstone
• cheekbone
• condone
• curbstone
• dethrone

Kids Definition

cyclone

noun

cy·​clone ˈsī-ˌklōn 

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

: tornado

cyclonic

sī-ˈklän-ik 

adjective