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Gust Beyond Wind
You’re no doubt familiar with the breezy gust meaning “a brief burst of wind.” But about a century and a half before that word first appeared in print in the late 16th century, a different gust blew onto the scene. The windy gust likely comes from a synonymous Old Norse word, gustr, whereas the older gust, which refers to the sensation of taste as well as to a feeling of enthusiastic delight, comes ultimately from gustus, the Latin word for “taste.” English speakers eventually mostly dropped that older gust, replacing it in the early 17th century with a similar gustus word borrowed from Italian: gusto is now the go-to word when you want to refer to enthusiastic and vigorous enjoyment or appreciation. You can use it with gusto.
Examples of gust in a Sentence
Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 17 May 2025
Winds are expected to be north winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 35 mph expected.
—Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 17 May 2025
Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 17 May 2025
The wet weekend weather is expected continue into Saturday evening, when winds could gust into the low 20-mph range.
—Ashley Fredde, Idaho Statesman, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for gust
Cite this Entry
“Gust.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gust. Accessed 30 May. 2025.
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