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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
Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2025
The storm will cause wind gusts up to 55 mph, according to the notice from the National Weather Service in Boulder.
—Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 5 Dec. 2025
Lauren Bostwick, CBS News, 30 Nov. 2025
Saturday's snow has left the possibility for slick spots on roads, and winds could gust up to 35 mph Sunday, according to a special weather statement from the National Weather Service.
—Jade Jackson, IndyStar, 30 Nov. 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 8 Dec. 2025.
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