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
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
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The two teams were scheduled to play in a rematch Tuesday in Oak Lawn but the game was postponed by a late afternoon storm that rendered the baseball field unplayable.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Apr. 2026
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Gattelli, who also choreographed the TV series, does much of his best work here through dance, a hypervigorous storm of limbs that manages to be funny while conveying story and character.—
Naveen Kumar,
Variety,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Set in Shizuoka during the 1970s and ’80s, the film draws on Kimura’s own family history, following a single mother’s pursuit of personal freedom amid the social upheaval of the era.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
10 Apr. 2026
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Their home offers refuge to Black travelers navigating the upheaval of the Great Migration.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Amid the unrest, the mine shut down.—
Gabrielle Emanuel,
NPR,
20 Apr. 2026
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The announcement comes amid ongoing scrutiny of the government’s handling of political detainees, even after the passage of an amnesty law earlier this year intended to address cases tied to political unrest spanning more than two decades.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Because of the speed of revolution, a single grain of dust can be enough to strip the magnetic film and obliterate the underlying data.—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
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Yet, its newfound street-legal status feels less like a revolution and more like KTM finally catching up with what the bike always should’ve been.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The impact of the explosion was so severe that homes nearby were damaged, while local residents thought the explosion was an earthquake, per the BBC.—
Staff Author,
PEOPLE,
23 Apr. 2026
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Japan has restarted 15 reactors after reviewing the lessons of the earthquake and tsunami that damaged the Fukushima plant, and 10 more are in the process of getting approval to restart.—
Vladimir Isachenkov,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tempest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tempest. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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