typhoon

noun ty·phoon \ tī-ˈfün \

|Updated on: 8 Jun 2018

Definition of typhoon

1 : a hurricane occurring especially in the region of the Philippines or the China sea

2 : whirlwind 2a

a typhoon of activity

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Recent Examples of typhoon from the Web

There’s no such narrative punctuation in The Eagle and the Hawk (screening on Friday 6/8 and Saturday 6/9), though Inoue generates a sense of spectacle in a rousing climactic set piece shot during an actual typhoon.

— ben sachs, Chicago Reader, "Film / Foreign Discover the work of noted Japanese genre director Umetsugu Inoue," 30 May 2018
In contrast, places like Taiwan, in the typhoon belt, hardened their infrastructures: drainage systems, building codes to withstand category 4 and 5 storms, emergency systems.

— mark fischetti, Scientific American, "New Data: Hurricanes Will Get Worse," 16 May 2018
The area was often referred to as the rice bowl of Vietnam, but the Communist Party’s collectivization of farmland, along with successive typhoons and floods, had decimated the harvests.

— oanh ngo usadi, WSJ, "A Candy From Mars and America’s Sweetness," 22 Apr. 2018
Jutting out of the sea, Hashima’s crammed collection of apartment buildings experiences weathering from corrosive seawater and typhoons.

— National Geographic, "Abandoned 'Battleship Island' Is Crumbling. Can It Be Saved?," 20 Apr. 2018
The project will also focus on making sure that the new city is sustainable and resilient to natural disasters in an effort to avoid replicating Manila’s vulnerability to flooding and typhoon damage.

— eli meixler, Fortune, "The Philippines Plans a Green 'Smart City' as an Antidote to Manila's Traffic and Pollution," 10 Apr. 2018
In the past two decades, the Philippines has emerged as one of the world's leading source countries for migrant workers, particularly as more powerful typhoons and other harsh weather make life at home harder.

— rina chandran, The Christian Science Monitor, "As climate change worsens, more Filipino women migrate," 30 Mar. 2018
In 2009, a typhoon killed 373 cows and caused a shortage of fresh milk, pushing prices up for what little remained.

— ralph jennings, latimes.com, "Taiwan goes on a panic-buying spree — for toilet paper," 15 Mar. 2018
In August 2015, bottled water disappeared from store shelves in Taipei for half a week after the city's tap water ran murky because of silt contamination caused by a typhoon.

— ralph jennings, latimes.com, "Taiwan goes on a panic-buying spree — for toilet paper," 15 Mar. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of typhoon

alteration (influenced by Chin — Guangdong — daaih-fùng, from daaih big + fùng wind) of earlier touffon, from Arabic ṭūfān hurricane, from Greek typhōn violent storm

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1771

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Climate/Meteorology Terms

monsoon, occlusion, ozone, rime, squall, zephyr

TYPHOON Defined for English Language Learners

typhoon

noun

Definition of typhoon for English Language Learners

: an extremely large, powerful, and destructive storm that occurs especially in the region of the Philippines or the China Sea

TYPHOON Defined for Kids

typhoon

noun ty·phoon \ tī-ˈfün \

Definition of typhoon for Students

: a tropical cyclone in the region of the Philippines or the China Sea

Learn More about typhoon

See words that rhyme with typhoon Spanish Central: Translation of typhoon Nglish: Translation of typhoon for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of typhoon for Arabic speakers

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typhoon

Definition of typhoon

Recent Examples of typhoon from the Web

Origin and Etymology of typhoon

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TYPHOON Defined for English Language Learners

typhoon

Definition of typhoon for English Language Learners

TYPHOON Defined for Kids

typhoon

Definition of typhoon for Students

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