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

First up is human tornado $ilkMoney, laying down a pointillistic stream of words that are like if De La had the bad attitude of a ’80s wrestling manager. —Pitchfork, 10 Dec. 2025

The states with the most expensive insurance are prone to hurricanes or tornadoes, including Florida ($1,887 a year), Louisiana ($1,793), Oklahoma ($1,793), Colorado ($1,769), and Texas ($1,769). —Ethan Varian, Mercury News, 6 Dec. 2025

Health inspectors gave the gas station a yellow placard after cheese pepperoni, ranchero steak and southwest chicken tornadoes on the roller grill measured outside of the temperature range considered safe. —Sacbee.com, 5 Dec. 2025

Michael was a creative tornado. —Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 5 Dec. 2025

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