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
Relevance
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
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 tempest
This gripping page-turner — featuring a decades-old murder, a writer in town to tell the real story and an oncoming tempest — feels like it was ripped from the juiciest headlines.
—
Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 11 Jan. 2026
While the idea of a one-time tax on more than 200 people has a long way to go before getting onto the ballot and would need to be passed by voters in November, the tempest around it captures the zeitgeist of angst and anger at the core of California.
—Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2026
This wild tempest of a tale set in Depression-era Nebraska follows a prairie witch and a high school girl swept up into a tumultuous western epic about the tragedies and ambitions of Manifest Destiny.
—Ron Charles, CBS News, 28 Dec. 2025
Yet What Lane Will (Actually) Do is almost secondary to the tempest he’s created to get here.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 28 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tempest
Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 11 Jan. 2026
While the idea of a one-time tax on more than 200 people has a long way to go before getting onto the ballot and would need to be passed by voters in November, the tempest around it captures the zeitgeist of angst and anger at the core of California.
—Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2026
This wild tempest of a tale set in Depression-era Nebraska follows a prairie witch and a high school girl swept up into a tumultuous western epic about the tragedies and ambitions of Manifest Destiny.
—Ron Charles, CBS News, 28 Dec. 2025
Yet What Lane Will (Actually) Do is almost secondary to the tempest he’s created to get here.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 28 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tempest
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tempest
Noun
-
Damaging wind gusts potentially topping 75 mph will take over as the main threat later Wednesday night, with individual storms expected to merge into cohesive lines from eastern Kansas first and eventually expand to western Ohio.—
Mary Gilbert,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
-
The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline.—
MIAMI HERALD HURRICANE BOT,
Miami Herald,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
Even the uninitiated will be beguiled, though, by the director’s meditative style, his skillful portrait of industrial upheaval and decay, and the sense of wistfulness driving Tao’s lovely performance.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
9 Dec. 2025
-
Despite the upheaval, Apple is positioning these changes as strategic rather than reactive.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
8 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
With one eye on opportunities tied to staggering technological advances, massive investments and soaring equity markets, and the other on inflation, global unrest and rising risks, businesses are choosing to build while the building is good.—
Scott Cohn,
CNBC,
16 June 2026
-
He was initially paid to post anti-Islam posters and graffiti in Muslim neighborhoods of London, an apparent attempt to stoke unrest.—
Emma Burrows,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
And yet, most businesses cannot afford to sit out the AI revolution.—
Alexei Oreskovic,
Fortune,
16 June 2026
-
That was actually the settlement of a long-term dispute over arms Iran bought from the US before the Islamic revolution.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
The installation is inspired by the original Wind Phone, created in Japan by garden designer Itaru Sasaki following the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami.—
Itay Hod,
CBS News,
11 June 2026
-
Researchers monitor pressure daily to ensure the caverns remain structurally sound, and earthquakes are rare in the Gulf Coast region.—
Cody Cottier,
Scientific American,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tempest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tempest. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
