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
Red flag warnings are in place for parts of Wyoming, South Dakota and Nebraska, where wind gusts could reach 30 to 45 mph.
—
Kenton Gewecke, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2026
Southwest wind 6 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.
—Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 19 Mar. 2026
Windy conditions should continue Wednesday morning, with gusts up to 20 miles per hour possible before breezes die down.
—Julia James, Dallas Morning News, 18 Mar. 2026
Winds remain breezy, with gusts reaching 20 mph or higher at times.
—Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 18 Mar. 2026
Wind gusts reached up to 74 mph in Avalon, New Jersey, on Monday.
—Joe Brandt, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
Wind gusts from the tornado peaked at 110 mph and its maximum width reached 100 yards.
—Leo Bertucci, Louisville Courier Journal, 17 Mar. 2026
Expect winds to be southwest winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts of 35 to 45 mph and relative humidity values falling around 20 to 25%.
—Kansas City Star Weather Bot, Kansas City Star, 12 Mar. 2026
Residents may experience wind gusts of up to 40 mph.
—Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 12 Mar. 2026
Kenton Gewecke, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2026
Southwest wind 6 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.
—Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 19 Mar. 2026
Windy conditions should continue Wednesday morning, with gusts up to 20 miles per hour possible before breezes die down.
—Julia James, Dallas Morning News, 18 Mar. 2026
Winds remain breezy, with gusts reaching 20 mph or higher at times.
—Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 18 Mar. 2026
Wind gusts reached up to 74 mph in Avalon, New Jersey, on Monday.
—Joe Brandt, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
Wind gusts from the tornado peaked at 110 mph and its maximum width reached 100 yards.
—Leo Bertucci, Louisville Courier Journal, 17 Mar. 2026
Expect winds to be southwest winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts of 35 to 45 mph and relative humidity values falling around 20 to 25%.
—Kansas City Star Weather Bot, Kansas City Star, 12 Mar. 2026
Residents may experience wind gusts of up to 40 mph.
—Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 12 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gusts
Noun
-
In the video, York is seen throwing hits while also absorbing blows to the face.—
Stephanie Giang-Paunon,
FOXNews.com,
17 Mar. 2026
-
The teams traded blows throughout the night, but especially down the stretch.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The outlet said more than 15 explosions shook Kharg Island, with the targets including air-defense systems, a naval base, an airport control tower and a helicopter hangar.—
Arsalan Shahla,
Fortune,
14 Mar. 2026
-
With a swell of applause and a burst of smoke and explosions, Fuerza closed out the night — an apt ending for a band that isn’t afraid to break the rules a little bit.—
Julyssa Lopez,
Rolling Stone,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Sprawling under a constant sun and cooled by ocean breezes rippling through those signature palm trees, Los Angeles is a singular city with hotel options to match.—
Tim Chester,
Robb Report,
5 Mar. 2026
-
From muscling the F50s around the course in strong winds, these soft, sub-foiling breezes require a completely different skill set.—
Andrew Rice,
New York Times,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Yet Grace is the one who wakes up in space, and this story emerges nonlinearly, narrative flashbacks like bursts of memory ripping through his brain, discombobulated after a long intergalactic coma.—
Katie Walsh,
Boston Herald,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Most are performed for five-second bursts, in sets of 15.—
Gilad Edelman,
The Atlantic,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In addition to the tornadoes, the NWS is investigating storm damage near Camden, Delaware.—
Tom Ignudo,
CBS News,
18 Mar. 2026
-
No hurricane made landfall in the US in 2025, but Matt Brannon of Insurify pointed to the toll from severe convective storms, which can produce tornadoes, hail and destructive winds.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Similar scoring outbursts from the Case Western Reserve recruit were not forthcoming, of course.—
Steve Reaven,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Mar. 2026
-
This undersells the singular malignance of her outbursts, which drove away Black and white allies alike.—
Moira Donegan,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Neither that, nor Monday’s snow flurries, stopped Jennifer Hall and her family from making their own Magic City hoodies and proudly wearing them to the game at State Farm Arena.—
DeAsia Paige,
AJC.com,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Scattered flurries are possible in the afternoon and evening, with the chance of a snow squall in the Poconos.—
Tammie Souza,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Other prominent arsenic peaks, alongside major sulfate peaks, likely indicate major volcanic events that align with records of 13th century eruptions recorded in Greenland and Antarctic ice cores.—
Nidhi Sharma,
Popular Science,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Article continues below Previous eruptions have caused massive damage and fatalities.—
Brett Tingley,
Space.com,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gusts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gusts. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
