tropical storm

noun

: a tropical cyclone with strong winds of over 39 miles (63 kilometers) per hour but less than hurricane intensity

Examples of tropical storm in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In 2024 Fiji, Samoa, and Vanuatu—Pacific islands especially vulnerable to effects of climate change in the form of rising sea levels and intense tropical storms—formally petitioned the ICC to consider ecocide an international crime. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Nov. 2026

In the Atlantic, an El Niño tends to create conditions that hamper the development of tropical storms, while the opposite set of conditions encourages their formation in the Pacific. — Nikki Nolan, CBS News, 12 Nov. 2026

The tropical storm brought large waves and flooding to some oceanfront homes in Southern California. — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 3 Nov. 2026

Marian and Larry get to dancing, and Larry offers to share his cab home with Marian in the midst of a tropical storm — based on a real one in 1885 — that has hit New York, spooking the horses pulling their carriage into breaking one of the wheels. — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 1 Nov. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1809, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tropical storm

• cuneiform
• iodoform
• nonuniform
• brainstorm
• conform
• deform
• firestorm
• hailstorm
• inform
• landform
• lukewarm
• perform

Kids Definition

tropical storm

noun

: a cyclone in or originating in the tropics that has very strong winds of less than hurricane strength