gusts

noun

plural of gust
1
as in blows
a sudden brief rush of wind a gust tore her umbrella from her grip and blew it down the street

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in explosions
a sudden intense expression of strong feeling the stressed-out coworker cried out with a gust of emotion that we had never witnessed before

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 gusts After strong wind gusts on Tuesday, milder winds up to 8 mph will breeze through Boise until Wednesday night. — Hali Smith, Idaho Statesman, 14 July 2026 Winds are forecasted to be northwest to north winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts of 35 to 55 mph, strongest in Sundowner wind prone areas of southern Santa Barbara County and relative humidity 10 to 25%. — Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 14 July 2026 Farther east, communities in the Philadelphia area were cleaning up after powerful microbursts ripped through neighborhoods with gusts up to 70 miles per hour. — Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 12 July 2026 Wind gusts of up to 60 mph and quarter-sized hail (1 inch) are predicted. — Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 11 July 2026 Anticipate quarter-sized hail (1 inch) and wind gusts of up to 60 mph. — Star-Telegram Weather Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 July 2026 Santa Barbara is also expected to see gusty sundowner winds across its southwest coast in the evenings this week, with gusts of up to 45 to 50 mph, Fielding said. — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gusts
  1. blows
  2. explosions
  3. breezes
  4. bursts
  5. tornadoes
  6. outbursts
  7. flurries
  8. eruptions
Noun
  • In a little corner of my mind, however, history will always mean the tragic smashing of individual lives by its cruel hands and the scattering of bewildered people reeling from its blows.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 July 2026
  • Holloway, even a Holloway who is nearing the end of his career with a somewhat suspect chin and ability to absorb heavy blows, wins this fight more times than not.
    — Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
Definition of blows
Noun
  • Fedorov’s removal came as Russian missiles struck Kyiv early Thursday, with loud explosions heard in the Ukrainian capital just hours before British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was set to arrive.
    — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 16 July 2026
  • And most often these fires, explosions and leaks happen in working-class neighborhoods.
    — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
Definition of explosions
Noun
  • Some fall in love with the cool ocean breezes and relaxed quality of life and find ways to stay in town after graduation.
    — Michael Goldstein, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026
  • Sunshine all day, cool breezes at night, board games after homemade feasts.
    — Hannah Sampson, Washington Post, 5 July 2026
Definition of breezes
Noun
  • Under rural Spanish skies, particularly in dark-sky regions away from towns and cities, observers could see 30 to 50 meteors per hour, with occasional bursts producing even more.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 14 July 2026
  • When the aorta bursts, blood rushes through the tear, which often leads to sudden death.
    — Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 13 July 2026
Definition of bursts
Noun
  • Roughly the same rural areas of eastern Cleveland and western Lincoln counties have spawned destructive, even deadly tornados for many decades.
    — Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 11 July 2026
  • Earlier, Kansas City was only at a marginal risk (Level 1 of 5), and tornadoes were not anticipated.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 10 July 2026
Definition of tornadoes
Noun
  • There are no explosive revelations, gotcha moments, dramatic confessions, or theatrical outbursts.
    — Rhoda Feng, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
  • Sleep deprivation strips away that capacity, often resulting in erratic outbursts or defensive behaviors that dismantle trust instantly.
    — Julie Kratz, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
Definition of outbursts
Noun
  • The past 14 years have included some flurries of diplomatic contact between Iran and the West.
    — Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026
  • There is even a remote possibility for a few flurries in the highest peaks of the Sierra on Saturday and Sunday nights with temps briefly below freezing.
    — Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 26 June 2026
Definition of flurries
Noun
  • Francesco was known to be an alchemist who experimented with chemical substances, which could explain the skin eruptions, Giuffra added.
    — Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 15 July 2026
  • Because of its location, Goma has been affected by eruptions of Nyiragongo.
    — Chinatsu Tsuji, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 July 2026
Definition of eruptions

Browse Nearby Words

gusto
gusts
gusty
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gusts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gusts. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on gusts

Nglish: Translation of gusts for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All