storm 1 of 2

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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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

2 of 2

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
Eurovision 2026 is facing its biggest political storm in decades as a growing number of broadcasters threaten to withdraw if Israel is allowed to compete. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Sep. 2025 Weather forecast ahead Here are peak storm chances in the Miami and Fort Lauderdale areas Friday through Monday, according to Weather Underground. Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
But ultimately, the Bills offense stormed back and erased a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter to steal the Week 1 win away from the Ravens. Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025 Oli's government lifted the ban after protests intensified on Monday, with police firing tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters trying to storm parliament. Gopal Sharma, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for storm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for storm
Noun
  • Camping in an open setting during a thunderstorm is strongly discouraged.
    Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Strong storms are expected Tuesday evening along the Colorado-Kansas border, including parts of Bent, Kit Carson, Prowers, Cheyenne, Kiowa and Yuma counties, according to the severe thunderstorm watch.
    Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • This coalesces and makes sense of the barrage of assaults designed to undermine Americans’ trust in our country, our Constitution and all the principles upon which it was built.
    U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Sep. 2025
  • When Lauryn Licari and Owen McKenny finally learned who was behind the barrage of incessant, cruel texts that broke them up and created mass paranoia at their small Midwestern school, the truth was almost too impossible to believe.
    Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Advertisement The flurry of updates came three days after Robinson was arrested following an intensive hunt for Kirk's killer.
    Richard Hall, Time, 14 Sep. 2025
  • The flurry of summer comes to an end and routine returns.
    Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 12 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The commotion has come as a surprise to Cooke, who didn’t foresee her role as such a divisive one.
    Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
  • The child’s father had arrived home shortly before the incident occurred and heard a commotion in the bedroom, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by KSAT.
    TJ Macias, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The National Weather Service issued a hazardous weather outlook for Saturday afternoon and evening, warning of storms with heavy rain, small hail, and wind gusts up to 40 mph in parts of north-central Colorado.
    Marco Cummings, Denver Post, 14 Sep. 2025
  • If only this car had arrived a few months later during one of our brief bouts of winter rain.
    Mark Ewing, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Sure, other fates are possible, like direct collapse to a black hole or explosions through the pair-instability mechanism, but a core-collapse supernova (also known as a type II supernova) represents the fate of the majority of the most massive stars ever to be born.
    Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Such an explosion would happen to the smallest possible black holes, at most, once every 100,000 years, according to previous theories.
    Robert Lea, Space.com, 12 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • At some point, everyone faces upheaval; a layoff, a health scare, a collapsing industry, or simply the gnawing sense that the old way isn’t working anymore.
    Mark Murphy, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
  • This event triggered a massive upheaval in the global financial markets and signaled the intensification of the 2008 financial crisis.
    Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • As the Tush Push discourse raged Sunday night following the Chiefs’ 20-17 loss to the Eagles, another debate started.
    Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 16 Sep. 2025
  • At times, officials, including senior advisor Stephen Miller, have raged against federal judges for standing in their way by issuing nationwide injunctions, some of which Sotomayor and her colleagues have then had brought before them.
    Dan Gooding Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Storm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/storm. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.

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