tornado

noun tor·na·do \ tȯr-ˈnā-(ˌ)dō \

Updated on: 15 Apr 2018

Definition of tornado

plural tornadoes or tornados

1 a : a violent destructive whirling wind accompanied by a funnel-shaped cloud that progresses in a narrow path over the land

b : a squall accompanying a thunderstorm in Africa

2 : a violent windstorm : whirlwind

3 archaic : a tropical thunderstorm

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Examples of tornado in a Sentence

in the path of a tornado

Recent Examples of tornado from the Web

The result was a tornado of seagull excrement, feathers and pepperoni chunks and fairly large birds whipping around the room.

— derek hawkins, BostonGlobe.com, "For the mess he and a flock of seagulls left behind years ago, a man begs forgiveness," 7 Apr. 2018
The Enquirer/Kareem Elgazzar Thunderstorms, tornados and flooding.

— sarah brookbank, Cincinnati.com, "Cincinnati weather: Flooding predictions and road closures," 3 Apr. 2018
In each case, Davis’s muted trumpet is as delicate as a daisy while Coltrane’s saxophone is a tornado of soul and brawn.

— marc myers, WSJ, "A Box of Bootlegs Captures Two Jazz Titans’ Last Pairing," 3 Apr. 2018
The National Weather Service confirmed that a large tornado hit the area at about 8:40 p.m. (9:40 p.m. ET).

— alex johnson, NBC News, "Tornado, strong winds hit Alabama ahead of major Southeastern storms," 20 Mar. 2018
Instead, the Huskies broke out of the gate at ridiculous speed Saturday afternoon, and a helpless guest, St. Francis (Pa.), was swept up by a tornado and tossed aside rather casually and cruelly.

— mike anthony, courant.com, "UConn Women Never Better In Record-Setting 140-52 Win Over St. Francis In NCAA Opener," 17 Mar. 2018
Gurka said the contents of the plans aren't publicly available for security reasons, but students and staff routinely practice fire, tornado and lockdown drills.

— bob sandrick, cleveland.com, "North Royalton schools will seek additional security training in aftermath of mass shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School," 13 Mar. 2018
Severe storms capable of producing a tornado could hit the Charlotte metro area on Thursday, a National Weather Service meteorologist said late Wednesday.

— joe marusak, charlotteobserver, "When will severe storms with possible tornado reach Charlotte? | Charlotte Observer," 28 Feb. 2018
In rural, south central Kentucky, 79-year-old Dallas Jane Combs died after a suspected tornado hit her Adairville home Saturday evening, Logan County Sheriff’s Department told television station WKRN.

— ken miller, The Seattle Times, "2 dead as severe weather moves eastward through central US," 24 Feb. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of tornado

modification of Spanish tronada thunderstorm, from tronar to thunder, from Latin tonare — more at ¹thunder

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1556

in the meaning defined at sense 3

See Words from the same year

Other Climate/Meteorology Terms

monsoon, occlusion, ozone, rime, squall, zephyr

TORNADO Defined for English Language Learners

tornado

noun

Definition of tornado for English Language Learners

: a violent and destructive storm in which powerful winds move around a central point

TORNADO Defined for Kids

tornado

noun tor·na·do \ tȯr-ˈnā-dō \

Definition of tornado for Students

plural tornadoes or tornados

: a violent whirling wind accompanied by a cloud that is shaped like a funnel and moves overland in a narrow path

Learn More about tornado

See words that rhyme with tornado Spanish Central: Translation of tornado Nglish: Translation of tornado for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of tornado for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tornado

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tornado

Definition of tornado

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TORNADO Defined for English Language Learners

tornado

Definition of tornado for English Language Learners

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tornado

Definition of tornado for Students

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tornado

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tornado

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tornado

Definition of tornado for Students

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