1
as in storm
a disturbance of the atmosphere accompanied by wind and often by precipitation (as rain or snow)
the sudden summertime tempest drove us off the golf course and into the clubhouse
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in upheaval
a violent disturbance (as of the political or social order)
the town council handled the tempest over cuts to the school budget as well as could be expected
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tempest
These tempests created unpredictable conditions on the peak, confounded meteorologists, and stymied elite climbers hoping to set speed records.
—
Ben Ayers, Outside Online, 4 June 2025
Into this local tempest rode Richard Spencer on his own high white horse.
—Deborah Baker
june 3, Literary Hub, 3 June 2025
Again, not for the first time in this matter, a tempest or a tea cup that is clear as mud.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 2 June 2025
Out of the midst of this thunder and turmoil and tempest rose Dr. Otto Lecher, serene and collected.
—Don Delillo, Harpers Magazine, 5 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tempest
Ben Ayers, Outside Online, 4 June 2025
Into this local tempest rode Richard Spencer on his own high white horse.
—Deborah Baker
june 3, Literary Hub, 3 June 2025
Again, not for the first time in this matter, a tempest or a tea cup that is clear as mud.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 2 June 2025
Out of the midst of this thunder and turmoil and tempest rose Dr. Otto Lecher, serene and collected.
—Don Delillo, Harpers Magazine, 5 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tempest
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tempest
Noun
-
The storms are packing marble-sized hail (0.5 inches).—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
1 Aug. 2025
-
In Georgetown, two RV parks along the San Gabriel River that were all but wiped off the map are directly in the floodway, where water moves most forcefully during storms.—
Bayliss Wagner,
Austin American Statesman,
1 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
New ecological environments were emerging with all of this upheaval.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
31 July 2025
-
This has been a year of unexpected upheaval for the drummers in The Who and Foo Fighters, both of whom were abruptly fired this spring despite — or, perhaps, because of — their formidable talents.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 July 2025
Noun
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These massive storms can be both round or linear in shape and be in systems like squall lines and tropical storms.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
31 July 2025
-
There were rainbows galore and night watches dodging squalls with the menace of lightning flashing on the horizon.—
Terry Ward,
CNN Money,
25 July 2025
Noun
-
So, audiences are in for a special treat Friday as the organization returns to its Los Angeles roots to uplift local artistry and, hopefully, foster community within the city after several years of ongoing strife from fires and labor strikes to social unrest and economic hardship.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
1 Aug. 2025
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According to local lore, the half-mile tunnel was conceived less for convenience than for security, built during a time of civil unrest.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
29 July 2025
Noun
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On the one hand, as Tevye is fond of saying, the story unfolds in a hardscrabble shtetl in the Ukrainian plains in the months leading up to the Russian Empire’s abortive 1905 revolution.—
David Lyman,
The Enquirer,
25 July 2025
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This will be difficult as the country’s economy is less broad-based compared with India and less cohesive compared with Sri Lanka, which has smartly recovered from its own revolution in 2022.—
Vasuki Shastry,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
Noun
-
On Alaska's Kenai Peninsula, a flurry of small earthquakes shook the Iliamna volcano on June 15.—
Elizabeth Weise,
USA Today,
14 July 2025
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While much of America has moved past COVID-19, the pandemic that hit the industry like an earthquake continues to experience aftershocks.—
Alexander Coolidge,
The Enquirer,
13 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tempest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tempest. Accessed 8 Aug. 2025.
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