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
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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
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Examples of tempest in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
From Beijing’s perspective, the gathering storm of criticism may look like a tempest in a teacup—easily weathered for long-term gains.
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Nadège Rolland, Foreign Affairs, 29 Jan. 2019
But the problems with Houston’s energy system didn’t start with Hurricane Beryl, although the tempest exposed its faults.
—Umair Irfan, Vox, 17 July 2024
And with meteorologists expecting an above normal Atlantic hurricane season this year, nearly 33 million homes from Texas to Maine could face danger from the savage winds, storm surges and heavy rainfall such tempests can produce, real estate data provider CoreLogic estimates.
—Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 3 July 2024
As Biden slogs through the post-debate tempest, the Trump campaign has no public events on its schedule for the week.
—David Jackson, USA TODAY, 2 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for tempest 
Nadège Rolland, Foreign Affairs, 29 Jan. 2019
But the problems with Houston’s energy system didn’t start with Hurricane Beryl, although the tempest exposed its faults.
—Umair Irfan, Vox, 17 July 2024
And with meteorologists expecting an above normal Atlantic hurricane season this year, nearly 33 million homes from Texas to Maine could face danger from the savage winds, storm surges and heavy rainfall such tempests can produce, real estate data provider CoreLogic estimates.
—Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 3 July 2024
As Biden slogs through the post-debate tempest, the Trump campaign has no public events on its schedule for the week.
—David Jackson, USA TODAY, 2 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for tempest
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tempest.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Tempest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tempest. Accessed 22 Oct. 2024.
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