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
Relevance
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
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 tempests
For now, Buttigieg has chosen to wait out the tempests in Traverse City, the hometown of his husband, Chasten, a former schoolteacher.
—
Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026
But flooding — and not just from those tropical tempests — is a multibillion-dollar threat that is largely untracked by government agencies and often kept secret from the public.
—Miami Herald, 12 Nov. 2025
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
Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026
But flooding — and not just from those tropical tempests — is a multibillion-dollar threat that is largely untracked by government agencies and often kept secret from the public.
—Miami Herald, 12 Nov. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tempests
Noun
-
As for where the strongest storms will be, Hinton said forecast models point to closer to the coastline.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Their frames carry the weight of storms, salt air and centuries.—
Reginald David,
Hartford Courant,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The vaccination campaign for measles was disrupted during Bangladesh's recent political upheavals.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Sitting around a wood stove and drinking cups of coffee and tea, the residents reflected on the upheavals that had become a regular feature of their lives.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
It is estimated that there are 500,000 detectable earthquakes in the world each year.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The deep seismometers will be particularly good at recording long-period seismic waves created by large earthquakes (about magnitude 7 or greater).—
Vanessa Bates Ramirez,
Scientific American,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Fidesz, founded as an anti-communist youth movement, still positions itself as the guardian of Hungary’s independence, secured in the peaceful revolutions that swept Central and Eastern Europe in 1989.—
Isaac Stanley-Becker,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Past technological revolutions allowed generations to absorb the shock.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tempests.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tempests. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
