storm

noun, often attributive

\ ˈstȯrm

How to pronounce storm (audio)

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Definition of storm

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a disturbance of the atmosphere marked by wind and usually by rain, snow, hail, sleet, or thunder and lightning

b : a heavy fall of rain, snow, or hail

c(1) : wind having a speed of 64 to 72 miles (103 to 117 kilometers) per hour

(2) : whole gale — see Beaufort Scale Table

d : a serious disturbance of any element of nature

2 : a disturbed or agitated state storms of emotion : a sudden or violent commotion

3 : a heavy discharge of objects (such as missiles)

4 : a tumultuous outburst a storm of protests

5a : paroxysm sense 2

b : a sudden heavy influx or onset

6 : a violent assault on a defended position

7 storms plural : storm window

by storm

: by or as if by employing a bold swift frontal movement especially with the intent of defeating or winning over quickly took the literary world by storm

up a storm

: in a remarkable or energetic fashion —used as an intensifierdancing up a storm

storm

stormed; storming; storms

Definition of storm (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

1a : to blow with violence

b : to rain, hail, snow, or sleet vigorously

2 : to attack by storm stormed ashore at zero hour

3 : to be in or to exhibit a violent passion : rage storming at the unusual delay

4 : to rush about or move impetuously, violently, or angrily the mob stormed through the streets

transitive verb

: to attack, take, or win over by storm storm a fort

Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about storm

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Choose the Right Synonym for storm

Verb

attack, assail, assault, bombard, storm mean to make an onslaught upon. attack implies taking the initiative in a struggle. plan to attack the town at dawn assail implies attempting to break down resistance by repeated blows or shots. assailed the enemy with artillery fire assault suggests a direct attempt to overpower by suddenness and violence of onslaught. Commandos assaulted the building from all sides. bombard applies to attacking with bombs or shells. bombarded the city nightly storm implies attempting to break into a defended position. preparing to storm the fortress

Examples of storm in a Sentence

Noun The sky got dark and it looked like a storm was coming. a winter storm bringing about six inches of snow Verb The mob stormed through the streets. She yelled at us and stormed off. He stormed out of the room. She stormed into the office.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Coastlines are subjected to more violent storms and to higher storm surges. — The Economist, "Climate change The necessity of pulling carbon dioxide out of the air," 7 Dec. 2019 The sadness lies in the recognizing of the unlikelihood of anything getting much better anytime soon, what with the slush and the sleet and the coming storm. — Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, "The Impeachment Hearings and the Coming Storm," 6 Dec. 2019 In fact, the movie is at its strongest when the weather is at its fiercest: ominous storm clouds on the horizon as Amelia and James embark on their journey foreshadow a slew of assaults by Mother Nature. — Mark Lieberman, Houston Chronicle, "Ballooning drama ‘The Aeronauts’ never achieves lift-off," 6 Dec. 2019 So is the intensity and frequency of storms that dump inches of water within minutes. — Jim Morrison, Smithsonian, "Cities Around the Globe Are Eagerly Importing a Dutch Speciality—Flood Prevention," 6 Dec. 2019 The Thanksgiving bomb cyclone caused hurricane-strength winds nearby Bomb cyclones are storms that strengthen rapidly, causing pressure to drop quickly. — Scottie Andrew, CNN, "A storm brought some of the largest waves ever recorded off the California coast last week. One was 75-feet tall," 6 Dec. 2019 Winter storms walloped north-central Montana in September and October. — USA TODAY, "Eel-powered tree, skateboard safety, red light on herring: News from around our 50 states," 5 Dec. 2019 The project replaced about a mile of water mains, lined a mile of both storm and sanitary sewers, and resurfaced a mile of streets in the subdivision. — Steve Sadin, chicagotribune.com, "Deerfield nets $2.3 million from Illinois for roadwork projects," 5 Dec. 2019 But in the northeastern part of its range, Piantedosi said, American holly doesn’t usually reach such heights due to winter storms and high winter winds, and commonly occurs as small trees or shrubs, typically about 15 to 25 feet tall. — BostonGlobe.com, "From Christmas decorations to classic holiday songs like “Deck The Halls,” holly is a traditional part of the Christmas season. It’s pointy-edged, dark green leaves and bright red berries are commonly used to make festive looking wreaths that adorn doorways and windows this time of year.," 5 Dec. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The sprawling naval base was locked down on Friday after Alshamrani – one of a few hundred foreign nationals training at the Naval Air Station Pensacola – stormed a classroom and opened fire with a handgun. — CBS News, "Brother says Pensacola shooting victim saved countless lives: "He died a hero"," 7 Dec. 2019 After falling behind seven points, 73-66 with just over 3 minutes to go in the third quarter, Indiana stormed ahead in the final minute with a 7-0 run to finish ahead 79-78. — Nathan Brown, Indianapolis Star, "Pacers hold on late vs. Thunder to sweep season series," 5 Dec. 2019 The thousands of fans who stormed the field as the final seconds ticked off the clock were long gone. — Tom Green | Tgreen@al.com, al, "Auburn salvages season, quiets the noise after wild Iron Bowl win," 1 Dec. 2019 Brian Leung was one of a number of protesters who stormed the city’s legislature in early July, and was the only one to unmask himself in the chamber. — Mary Hui, Quartz, "What the Hong Kong protests can teach the world about enduring social movements," 19 Nov. 2019 Ortega, for example, was one of the soldiers who stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, one of the most consequential campaigns in the war. — Cristóbal Reyes, orlandosentinel.com, "Orlando honors World War II vets in 20th Veterans Day parade," 9 Nov. 2019 Tapping the most entertaining moment of the Spring 2020 runway shows, Dobrev dressed as the notorious show crasher who stormed the Chanel show in Paris this season. — Vogue, "Nina Dobrev Delivers a Halloween Costume Only True Fashion Fans Will Know," 28 Oct. 2019 Following a faceoff in the Chicago zone, Evgeny Kuznetsov stole the puck from Duncan Keith along the back boards and fed it to Oshie, who was storming to the net. — Matt Carlson, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Wilson snaps tie with 3rd period goal, Caps edge Blackhawks," 20 Oct. 2019 The plane, which was hijacked by terrorists intent on flying it to Washington, D.C., went down instead in a field in Pennsylvania thanks to Bingham and Beamer, who stormed the cockpit. — Erin Schwartz, The Mercury News, "Students, vets mark 9-11 at Los Gatos memorial," 15 Sep. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'storm.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near storm

stork-billed kingfisher

storm and stress

Statistics for storm

Last Updated

9 Dec 2019

Cite this Entry

“Storm.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/storming. Accessed 13 December 2019.

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More Definitions for storm

storm

noun

English Language Learners Definition of storm

(Entry 1 of 2)

: an occurrence of bad weather in which there is a lot of rain, snow, etc., and often strong winds

: a sudden occurrence of something in large amounts

: a situation in which many people are angry, upset, etc.

storm

verb

English Language Learners Definition of storm (Entry 2 of 2)

—used with it to say that a storm (sense 1) is happening

: to attack (something) suddenly with a lot of force or with a large number of people

: to go quickly and in an angry, loud way

See the full definition for storm in the English Language Learners Dictionary

storm

\ ˈstȯrm

\

Kids Definition of storm

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a heavy fall of rain, snow, or sleet often with strong winds

2 : a serious disturbance of any element of nature a dust storm

3 : a strong outburst a storm of protest

4 : a violent attack on a defended position The army took the fort by storm.

storm

stormed; storming

Kids Definition of storm (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : to blow hard and rain, snow, or sleet heavily

2 : to make a sudden mass attack against Soldiers stormed the fort.

3 : to feel or express angry feelings : rage He stormed at the long delay.

4 : to rush about violently or angrily I stormed out of Mandy's room and rushed to the library …— Gail Carson Levine, Ella Enchanted

storm

\ ˈstȯ(ə)rm

\

Medical Definition of storm

: a crisis or sudden increase in the symptoms of a disease — see thyroid storm

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WORD OF THE DAY

tractable

easily led, controlled, or managed

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