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
Wind gusts of 75 miles per hour were reported in Mason City, Illinois, and 70 mph in Morton and Washington, Illinois.
—
CBS News, 12 June 2026
Damaging wind gusts and large hail are the main threats, and a tornado or two can’t be ruled out, especially in mid- to late afternoon in parts of eastern Kansas and western Missouri.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 12 June 2026
Residents should be prepared for wind gusts of up to 60 mph.
—Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 12 June 2026
The National Weather Service office in the Philadelphia area warned on X that storms could produce damaging wind gusts and brief but intense downpours.
—Francie Ebert, NBC news, 11 June 2026
Thunderstorms and wind gusts of more than 80 mph were reported in Frederick, South Dakota, on Wednesday, leaving buildings damaged, a radio tower and power lines toppled, and trees uprooted.
—Kenton Gewecke, ABC News, 4 June 2026
Sustained, strong winds with even stronger gusts are happening.
—Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 4 June 2026
Breezy northeast winds are expected at 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
—Garfield Hylton, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 June 2026
Brace for quarter-sized hail (1 inch) and wind gusts of up to 60 mph.
—Star-Telegram Weather Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 May 2026
CBS News, 12 June 2026
Damaging wind gusts and large hail are the main threats, and a tornado or two can’t be ruled out, especially in mid- to late afternoon in parts of eastern Kansas and western Missouri.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 12 June 2026
Residents should be prepared for wind gusts of up to 60 mph.
—Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 12 June 2026
The National Weather Service office in the Philadelphia area warned on X that storms could produce damaging wind gusts and brief but intense downpours.
—Francie Ebert, NBC news, 11 June 2026
Thunderstorms and wind gusts of more than 80 mph were reported in Frederick, South Dakota, on Wednesday, leaving buildings damaged, a radio tower and power lines toppled, and trees uprooted.
—Kenton Gewecke, ABC News, 4 June 2026
Sustained, strong winds with even stronger gusts are happening.
—Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 4 June 2026
Breezy northeast winds are expected at 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
—Garfield Hylton, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 June 2026
Brace for quarter-sized hail (1 inch) and wind gusts of up to 60 mph.
—Star-Telegram Weather Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gusts
Noun
-
The biggest blows came from Garcia and Starling Marte.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
7 June 2026
-
Suddenly, Brooks began raining down blows on Sumner with a gutta-percha cane while an accomplice warded off lawmakers who tried to intervene.—
Rob Wolfe,
The Atlantic,
5 June 2026
Noun
-
Perhaps alarmingly, the city’s air defenses appeared to be less active during the final wave of Russian strikes on Tuesday morning, with CNN producers hearing ongoing explosions, but not the sound of counter-systems firing.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
-
Some were awakened by explosions; others pulled back their curtains in the early hours to see plumes of black smoke rising above the city.—
David Hickey,
NBC news,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
The main residence carries an old-world hacienda rhythm, with open corridors, generous gathering spaces and a central kitchen and dining area made for breezes, long lunches and slow afternoons.—
Spencer Elliott,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
-
Some suites have private gardens while others have ocean vistas; whimsical swings sway with the Atlantic breezes on many terraces.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 May 2026
Noun
-
Marketing gurus have spent decades on the art and science of distilling a brand message into super-short 15- or 30-second ad bursts.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
11 June 2026
-
Short bursts of work can keep productivity buzzing along.—
Aytekin Tank,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
Storms may start early in the afternoon and continue through the remainder of the evening into early Thursday, bringing with them threats of damaging winds, large hail, tornadoes, heavy downpours and flooding.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
11 June 2026
-
The areas are at risk of destructive winds of up to 80 mph, large hail and strong tornadoes.—
Kenton Gewecke,
ABC News,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
Brown, who entered the courtroom wearing a black and gray jumpsuit and orange shackles on his hands and feet, had multiple outbursts during the brief hearing Tuesday morning.—
Andy Buck,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
-
What to read next The major mission disrupters come in the form of meteor storms and outbursts, which see a dramatic increase in the quantity of interplanetary debris choking the Earth-moon environment.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
7 June 2026
Noun
-
The players rotated quickly, setting flurries of picks and cutting, creating space by driving to the basket, stretching the defense to the point of breaking, and then flinging the ball to the open man in the corner.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
7 June 2026
-
The checkup came amid mounting scrutiny of the president's health, particularly given recent flurries of late-night social media posts, as well as his at-times tired demeanor during official meetings.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
Massive volcanic mudflows generated when eruptions melt the volcano’s extensive glaciers.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
9 June 2026
-
Astronomers did spot evidence of past eruptions from Sgr A*, but had trouble detecting any current winds, Northwestern said.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gusts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gusts. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
