tornado

noun

tor·​na·​do tȯr-ˈnā-(ˌ)dō 

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

Examples of tornado in a Sentence

in the path of a tornado

Recent Examples on the Web

And in Rolling Fork, a small city in the Mississippi Delta, some have resorted to sleeping in their cars to stay warm following a storm that left such severe damage, officials across the state have likened it to a tornado. —Elizabeth Chuck, NBC news, 30 Jan. 2026

The freaky happenings in this seemingly antiseptic city include clashes with werewolves, bigfoot, aliens, ghosts, mummies, alternate dimensions, vengeful tornados, and Elvis! —Jeff Spry, Space.com, 29 Jan. 2026

Oklahoma averages more than 50 tornadoes every year, per the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management. —Isa Almeida, Oklahoman, 29 Jan. 2026

As the film opens, Jaime is out saving the world — that’s literally her job as a disaster relief worker — cleaning up after a tornado in neighboring Mississippi. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1556, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Rhymes for tornado

• afterglow
• akimbo
• albino
• aliquot
• allegro
• amigo
• apropos
• audio
• bungalow
• calico
• calypso
• cameo

Kids Definition

tornado

noun

tor·​na·​do tȯr-ˈnād-ō 

plural tornadoes or tornados

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