1
as in storms
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 upheavals
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 tempests
But instead of clouds and rain, these electromagnetic tempests are made of plasma, charged particles whipped into motion by Earth's magnetic field.
—
Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 4 Aug. 2025
The force of the collision pushed up mountains three miles high; millions of years of tempests wore them down.
—Kevin West, Travel + Leisure, 24 Nov. 2024
Hwang seems to be suggesting that a line can indeed be drawn from the cultural tempests – too easily dismissed as matters of political correctness – to the real-world tragedies and obscenities that send innocent men to jail and early graves.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 1 Oct. 2024
Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 4 Aug. 2025
The force of the collision pushed up mountains three miles high; millions of years of tempests wore them down.
—Kevin West, Travel + Leisure, 24 Nov. 2024
Hwang seems to be suggesting that a line can indeed be drawn from the cultural tempests – too easily dismissed as matters of political correctness – to the real-world tragedies and obscenities that send innocent men to jail and early graves.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 1 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tempests
Noun
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To better understand how these storms can wreak so much havoc, our research team created simulations to show how storms interact with Earth’s natural magnetic shield and trigger the dangerous geomagnetic activity that can shut down electric grids.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
24 Oct. 2025
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The storms brought by atmospheric rivers are known for their heavy snow, heavy rain and strong winds.—
Anna Skinner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Details in geomyths can shed light on how and when great geological upheavals occurred around the globe, and how humans responded to them.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Oct. 2025
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The Industry Has Handled Huge Shifts Before When discussion turned to AI, Pearn recalled earlier upheavals.—
Callum McLennan,
Variety,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
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It is estimated that there are 500,000 detectable earthquakes in the world each year.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
24 Oct. 2025
-
The Øresund Bridge is designed to withstand ship collisions, aircraft impacts, earthquakes, and high winds.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Nowhere have these coups and revolutions promoted and funded by NED (and the CIA itself) been even remotely successful.—
Ron Paul,
Oc Register,
14 Oct. 2025
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These novels were published before the revolutions of 1989, which would topple communism in the country.—
Walt Hunter,
The Atlantic,
9 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tempests.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tempests. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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