tornado

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noun tor·na·do \tȯr-ˈnā-(ˌ)dō\

Definition of tornado

plural

tornadoes

tornados

1a : a violent destructive whirling wind accompanied by a funnel-shaped cloud that progresses in a narrow path over the landb : a squall accompanying a thunderstorm in Africa
2 : a violent windstorm : whirlwind
3 archaic : a tropical thunderstorm

See tornado defined for English-language learners

See tornado defined for kids

Examples of tornado in a Sentence

in the path of a tornado

Recent Examples of tornado from the Web

The May 16 tornado formed from a classic supercell that formed in the relatively desolate Plains.

— kelly p. kissel, The Seattle Times, "Researchers know about some deadly storms early with system," 14 July 2017
A tornado touched down at the air base, damaging seven RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft.

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "The U.S. Air Force Just Had an Awful Week," 26 June 2017
There is a small chance for high, damaging winds and small hail, but most storms will not be severe and no tornadoes are expected.

— frank marzullo, jennifer baker, Cincinnati.com, "Heavy rain could cause flash flooding Friday," 23 June 2017
In a budget plan that can be best described as punitive, Trump proposes to slash NOAA funding by hundreds of millions, eliminating early warning systems for tornadoes such as Vortex-Southeast.

— jamil smith, Esquire, "Soon, Trump Will Have to Handle a Real Disaster," 22 June 2017
Ms. Huang’s nephew, Ayden Huang, 7, his feet in yellow Crocs, stood nearby holding the Rainbow — a cup of soft serve topped with tricolor cotton candy in the shape of an inverted tornado.

— arielle dollinger, New York Times, "When Soft Serve Isn’t Enough, Add Cotton Candy," 20 June 2017
Gregg Miller, who was nearly killed by flying debris when the tornado tore off his roof and exploded his windows, says Andy came by with another officer to deliver blankets, gift cards and food.

— sarah gish, kansascity.com, "After losing their baby, this Oak Grove couple help others cope," 15 June 2017
In addition to the mini golf course, there are batting cages, go-karts, junior go-karts, a tornado ride, a child's rollercoaster and arcade.

— erin gallagher, Daily Southtown, "Where to putt-putt around this summer," 15 June 2017
Celebrities live another life, but any playdate in the real world would turn that meticulous room into a tornado of board game pieces and building blocks.

— caroline picard, House Beautiful, "Gwyneth Paltrow's Kids' Playroom Is So Gwyneth Paltrow," 8 June 2017

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.