storm

noun, often attributive

\ ˈstȯrm

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 intensifier dancing up a storm

storm

verb

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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Synonyms for storm

Synonyms: Noun

squall, tempest

Synonyms: Verb

bristle, fume, rage

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

Crews have reopened the major highways closed in the storm. — Jeffrey Collins, Fox News, "After the hurricane comes the deluge on South Carolina coast," 25 Sep. 2018 Rescue efforts will continue into Thursday, but have been complicated by the fact that the bridge providing the only road and rail access to the airport from the mainland was badly damaged in the storm. — Katherine Lagrave, Condé Nast Traveler, "Typhoon Jebi Batters Japan, Forces Airport Closure," 5 Sep. 2018 The National Weather Service put the probability of such a storm at once in 1,000 years. — Bill Gourgey, WIRED, "How Artificial Intelligence Could Prevent Natural Disasters," 10 July 2018 Vargas and her family are among the hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans feeling the sting of what the territorial government says are insufficient federal funds to help the island recover from the Category 4 storm amid a 12-year recession. — Danica Coto, The Seattle Times, "Puerto Ricans struggle to buy food amid funding shortfall," 30 Mar. 2019 Supertyphoon Yutu, a rare Category 5 storm, was more powerful than Hurricane Michael, which this month battered northwest Florida with winds of 155 miles an hour. — Rob Taylor, WSJ, "Typhoon Yutu ‘All but Destroyed’ U.S. Island," 25 Oct. 2018 Hurricane Michael, a category 4 storm that claimed the lives of at least 13 people, wiped out crops all over the southeast of Georgia. — Eileen Reslen, Country Living, "Hurricane Michael Completely Destroys Crops on Georgia Farms," 12 Oct. 2018 Florence intensified to a Category 4 storm on Monday. — Elizabeth Zwirz, Fox News, "Hurricane Florence charges towards East Coast as ‘monster’ storm, lawmaker says," 2 Oct. 2018 Florence is expected to stay a category 4 or 5 storm over the next day and a half. — Brian Resnick, Vox, "Hurricane Florence: where the storm is and where it’s heading," 11 Sep. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Late Serbian hard-line leader Slobodan Milosevic was ousted from power in 2000 after protesters stormed the parliament in Belgrade. — Dusan Stojanovic, The Seattle Times, "Thousands rally in Serbia against populist leader Vucic," 14 Apr. 2019 Brewster made a name for himself at the FIFA U-17 World Cup last year, when his consecutive hat-tricks in the competition saw him win the Golden Boot award as England stormed to take the trophy. — SI.com, "Respected Journalist Claims Wonderkid Has Signed New Contract at Liverpool Following Exit Talk," 17 June 2018 All-Stars DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry along with Ibaka and a handful of Toronto assistant coaches also let the refs hear about it before Ujiri stormed onto the floor to voice his own frustration at the end of the half. — Chris Fedor, cleveland.com, "Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri fined $25,000 for walking on court to yell at referees during Game 3 loss," 6 May 2018 The conversation didn’t end there, as the two exchanged more barbs before Pagenaud stormed off. — Jim Ayello, Indianapolis Star, "Simon Pagenaud, Gabby Chaves get into post-race skirmish," 23 Apr. 2018 On the day of the incident, Harrouff had stormed out of a restaurant following a fight with his father. — Katherine Lam, Fox News, "Florida face-biting suspect gets sued by victim’s family for wrongful death 2 years after killing," 9 Aug. 2018 The men busted into the prison armory, stole weapons and stormed out of the unit in a prison truck. — Keri Blakinger, Houston Chronicle, "Prosecutors ask to push back death date for Texas 7 escapee, citing clerical error," 27 June 2018 The two had been having an argument Saturday night at home when the son stormed out of the house and rode away on his bicycle. — Steve Helling, PEOPLE.com, "Mom Allegedly Opens Fire on Son After Argument: 'I'll Be Damned If I Let Him Have the Last Word'," 20 June 2018 Change will come through principled engagement—not through storming out of the room. — Erika Guevara-rosas, Time, "Trump’s Departure From the Human Rights Council Will Only Weaken America," 20 June 2018

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.