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
The show actually opens in a lighter vein, with Kumar showing us the play’s inspiration: a 2017 photograph of the then four-year-old Prince George, which, at the time, caused a tempest in an online teapot.
—
Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 26 June 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for tempest
Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 26 June 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for tempest
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tempest
Noun
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Viktor Hovland shot a 3-under par 67 on Thursday to take the clubhouse lead before the storm.—
Bennett Conlin,
Baltimore Sun,
15 Aug. 2025
-
Protruding coastal areas, including parts of Long Island, face a higher risk of storm conditions by the middle of next week than much of the northern New England coasts.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Constant procedural upheaval and backlogs are poison.—
Scott White,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
-
King took over in June as the district was confronting a $734 million budget crisis in the wake of leadership upheaval.—
Kate Perez,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
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His excellent band can walk a squall of droning guitars and pedal steel into an abrupt stop, hover a second, then surge forward as one, without sounding rehearsed.—
Christopher Borrelli,
Chicago Tribune,
19 June 2025
-
Brought in on June 7 after protests in L.A. over a squall of harsh ICE raids on undocumented immigrants, Trump took over the Golden State National Guard first without seemingly properly informing Newsom.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
17 June 2025
Noun
-
The proposal being evaluated now would allow the president to mobilize troops and put them on Title 32 orders in a state experiencing unrest.—
ALEX HORTON AND DAVID OVALLE THE WASHINGTON POST,
Arkansas Online,
13 Aug. 2025
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The Interior Ministry report explicitly suggested the recognition of a Palestinian state as a means of quelling Islamic unrest, according to a translation from the Center for Security Policy.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The systems may still be catching up, but the revolution has already begun, quietly, in homes, clinics, and communities.—
Ginger Gentile,
Forbes.com,
18 Aug. 2025
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In the play, the composer blames the tsar for unleashing the violent revolution and thus causing his own devastating displacement.—
Emily McClanathan,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
It is estimated that there are 500,000 detectable earthquakes in the world each year.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
19 Aug. 2025
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But after the earthquake of Trump’s economic regime change, the terrain has become much rougher.—
Adam S. Posen,
Foreign Affairs,
19 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tempest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tempest. Accessed 28 Aug. 2025.
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