typhoon

noun ty·phoon \ tī-ˈfün \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

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

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 have not worked as well as expected, though, especially during typhoons when precipitation spikes, so groundwater continues to be contaminated.

— tim hornyak, Scientific American, "Clearing the Radioactive Rubble Heap That Was Fukushima Daiichi, 7 Years On," 9 Mar. 2018
The habit of preparing for typhoons has also sharpened the impulse to stockpile.

— The Economist, "The tissue issueThe price of toilet paper triggers a panic in Taiwan," 1 Mar. 2018
There’s also typhoon lobster, one of many Hong Kong specials available here (Eddy Cheung hails from there) and at few, if any, other area restaurants.

— phil vettel, chicagotribune.com, "Is Jade Court Chicago's best Chinese restaurant? Phil Vettel digs in.," 23 Feb. 2018
Coral reefs — sometimes called the rainforests of the sea — provide a home for around a quarter of all marine life, and are an important barrier against storms and typhoons.

— joseph hincks, Time, "Billions of Plastic Pieces are Infecting Coral Reefs with Diseases, Study Shows," 26 Jan. 2018
Ever wondered what a super typhoon looks like from space?

— ramy, Popular Mechanics, "11 of the Best Vines from Space," 17 Nov. 2014
Residents suffered the full potential for destruction of Mayon’s lahars in November of 2006 when a typhoon swept the region, bringing with it heavy rain that saturated built up material.

— maya wei-haas, Smithsonian, "Geology Makes the Mayon Volcano Visually Spectacular—And Dangerously Explosive," 19 Jan. 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