storm 1 of 2

Definition of stormnext
1
as in thunderstorm
a disturbance of the atmosphere accompanied by wind and often by precipitation (as rain or snow) a winter storm bringing about six inches of snow

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2
as in barrage
a heavy fall of objects police had to endure a storm of rocks and bricks hurled by the rioters

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3
4
5
as in rain
a steady falling of water from the sky in significant quantity the storm caused major damage to our barn

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

6
as in explosion
a sudden intense expression of strong feeling a storm of indignation and demands for his resignation arose when the mayor's dishonesty was exposed

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7

storm

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verb

1
2
as in to rain
to fall as water in a continuous stream of drops from the clouds it storms so frequently up in the mountains that the peaks are rarely visible from the valley below

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3
4
as in to steam
to be excited or emotionally stirred up with anger by the time we arrived, our hostess was storming because dinner was ruined

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb storm contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of storm are assail, assault, attack, and bombard. While all these words mean "to make an onslaught upon," storm implies attempting to break into a defended position.

preparing to storm the fortress

When might assail be a better fit than storm?

While in some cases nearly identical to storm, assail implies attempting to break down resistance by repeated blows or shots.

assailed the enemy with artillery fire

Where would assault be a reasonable alternative to storm?

In some situations, the words assault and storm are roughly equivalent. However, assault suggests a direct attempt to overpower by suddenness and violence of onslaught.

commandos assaulted the building from all sides

When would attack be a good substitute for storm?

The words attack and storm can be used in similar contexts, but attack implies taking the initiative in a struggle.

plan to attack the town at dawn

When can bombard be used instead of storm?

The words bombard and storm are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, bombard applies to attacking with bombs or shells.

bombarded the city nightly

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of storm
Noun
Check your portable heating devices Space heaters are a great way to keep your home warm during storms like this weekend’s. Morayo Ogunbayo, AJC.com, 27 Jan. 2026 The crash happened during a winter storm that dumped 8-10 inches of snow across Bangor, but the city’s small airport was still operating at the time. Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 27 Jan. 2026
Verb
John Magaro plays him in the film, which also re-creates the moment when West German police stormed the room and pointed guns at his face. Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 26 Jan. 2026 Parishioners were met by an anti-ICE mob last weekend, as several dozen individuals stormed Cities Church in Minneapolis to interrupt worship services and scream in the faces of frightened Christians and their families. Kyler Alvord, PEOPLE, 25 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for storm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for storm
Noun
  • Multiple tornado warnings hit Oklahoma early Thursday as a line of severe thunderstorm systems moved in.
    Cheyenne Derksen, Oklahoman, 8 Jan. 2026
  • Earlier in the afternoon, the weather service issued a severe thunderstorm warnings for areas north of the metro, but those warnings have since expired.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 8 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Eleven years ago, Tom Brady was buried on the same field under a barrage of sacks, hits and hurries in an upset that sprung the Broncos to the Super Bowl.
    Andrew Callahan, Hartford Courant, 26 Jan. 2026
  • The scandal erupted at the end of last year when the AI chatbot churned out a barrage of digitally undressed images of women and children in response to requests from users.
    Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 26 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Having beaten Rybakina from a similar situation in the 2023 title clash, Sabalenka unleashed a flurry of winners to go ahead 3-0, but the Kazakh erased the deficit and broke for 4-3 before securing the victory to add to her 2022 Wimbledon triumph.
    Reuters, NBC news, 31 Jan. 2026
  • Garnett, a Biden appointee, ruled after a flurry of court filings in the prosecution and defense in recent months.
    Michael R. Sisak, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Early Thursday morning, a neighbor came outside to commotion on her street in Columbia Heights, Minnesota.
    Conor Wight, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
  • What's all the commotion about?
    Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 30 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Afghanistan is highly vulnerable to extreme weather events, with snow and heavy rain that trigger flash floods that often kill dozens, or even hundreds, of people at a time.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Jan. 2026
  • These storms begin as minor or average storms and then go through a rapid, explosive intensification, delivering heavy snow, blizzards, thundersnow, coastal flooding and flooding rains.
    Tammie Souza, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Video footage that appeared to be taken at the scene captured loud blasts and the sky glowing following explosions that began around midnight and lasted about two hours in the area of Diori Hamani International Airport.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 31 Jan. 2026
  • An explosion was reported at a metal fabricating plant on Thursday night in Pennsylvania, according to officials.
    Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • The changes to and cancellation of courses comes months after a viral video of a student confronting an instructor over her lessons threw Texas A&M, one of the largest universities in the country, into upheaval.
    Juan A. Lozano, Fortune, 31 Jan. 2026
  • The junior point guard loves to throw caution to the wind and insert himself right into the middle of the action, causing upheaval for the opposing team while leaving no stone turned.
    Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • When the sun goes down, three beams of light will illuminate the sky over the town that was, piercing the darkness that this time last year was lit with the unholy glow of a fire raging, with no end in sight.
    Dana Goodyear, New Yorker, 7 Jan. 2026
  • That winter, the concrete spillway collapsed in one section during massive storms, prompting the evacuation of 188,000 people as water raged uncontrolled into the river below, and concerns grew that part of the dam might fail.
    Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Storm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/storm. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.

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